Ø
by Kim Chang-Ra
Summary: Blue Angel meets a fan who wants to be something more.
1. I

**_(1) null_** _\ adjective_

 _…_

 _2: amounting to nothing;_ _ **nil**_

 _3: having no value;_ _ **insignificant**_

 _…_

 ** _(2) null_** _\ noun_

 _1:_ _ **zero**_ _…_

– Excerpt from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary

* * *

I

She'd never really cared for this kind of music.

Yes, she was aware, 'to each their own', but music was supposed to be pleasing to the ears—to soar on her breath, tug on her heartstrings. Not to _thud-thud-thud_ in her ears the way it was now—causing her to squish her eyes shut so as to ward off the impending migraine. Even the private booth she was seated in offered little comfort from the noise outside.

The lights and colors weren't helping much either. Such things were wonderful in moderation—but here, they were nothing so much as an assault upon the senses. Beams of white and purple, green and red—even some colors she could not readily identify—flickered and flashed in patterns her eyes had quickly given up trying to memorize. Yet the many figures outside her booth—not all of which were human, or even human _oid_ —continued to cheer and dance raucously to the _thud-thud-thud_ that continued to pound in her brain and blood, stamping their feet in a cadence that only redoubled this omnipresent excuse of a melody.

She checked the clock on her Duel Disk—just past eight-thirty. Night would be falling soon.

 _I can't stay here for much longer_.

She bit her lip, scanning what little of the dance floor she could make out from her booth. "Where are you?" she whispered …

* * *

 _Den City_

 _Thirty minutes ago_

Zaizen Aoi sighed, wholly content, though shivering slightly as she felt the apartment's air-conditioning wash over the wet skin that wasn't covered by her towels.

The sun was setting; Aoi often liked to watch it when the days were warm, and the skies clear. It was, in her mind, perhaps the best perk available to her stepbrother Akira's residence—with the possible exception, she thought, of the shower from which she'd just left. She guessed that she'd spent just long enough in there that by the time she dried herself off and dressed herself for bed, the last few rays would be arcing across the sky, providing a wonderful view across the downtown skyline.

She decided to check the time, just to be sure. Her Duel Disk was laying on the nearest end table by the sofa—but Aoi drew back momentarily when she saw that the screen was flashing.

Someone was messaging her—or had already tried.

This was a concern; Akira had made it very clear after the business with the Knights of Hanoi that Aoi needed to be _very_ careful about whom she revealed her personal information to. She'd done her best to follow through on that end—though there were still a special few people who knew of her _online_ presence as well as her real one, and therefore, which Duel Disk to contact her on.

She picked up the device, frowning. The contact information was no help at all, saying simply "Unknown". That was bad enough for her nerves, but the four words perched at the top of the chat window that had opened up on the screen sent Aoi's eyebrows straight into her brown hair:

 _Are you Blue Angel?_

She bit her lip. The message seemed innocuous enough—probably from another love-struck fan of hers—but Aoi had been taken advantage of by a person who'd claimed to be a fan before.

 _There's one way to find out_. "Scramble code 77," she muttered, pressing a switch on her Duel Disk. Her voice, quiet as it was, echoed in the apartment enough that the voice-activated software inside the device picked it up easily. "Care of the graveyard shift."

The screen fuzzed and blipped for the briefest of moments. When it was over, a second window had appeared alongside the first one—similarly marked as "Unknown".

Another push of a button toggled the dictation function. "I need you to look into this for me," Aoi said swiftly, dragging the four words of mystifying text into the second window, then transmitting them. "Take your time."

She took her time as well. Five minutes passed while she dried herself off fully, and she'd stepped into some exceptionally comfy pajamas by the time her contact replied back.

 _IP's not registered with any entity even remotely linked to the Knights_ , the chat window said. _Clean enough for me_.

Aoi did not speak for a long moment. " … What should I tell them?" she eventually asked. "Should I even bother?"

It took much less time for her contact to reply back this time—and when they did, there was a noticeable amount of amusement, even with its lack of voice.

 _When was the last time you had to deal with fan mail? :)_

Aoi resisted the urge to roll her golden-brown eyes. "Okay, fair point. … But Blue Angel was a long time ago."

 _Oh, don't be dramatic_ , said the window. _That's all this is—a fan wanting to talk to her idol. Or his. Boys can like cute things, too_.

Aoi glared at the screen. "That's what worries me," she said flatly. She knew all too well what happened the last time she'd been in that situation before. Getting possessed by a viral card, rendered comatose by the aftereffects—and finally being turned into raw data after _that_ —tended to make such memories stick.

Those memories, evidently, were still in sharp focus for her contact as well. _Got me there_ , said the chat window with what Aoi could only assume was a digital shrug. _I'll keep watch. Don't worry. :)_

For some reason, seeing those words pop up on her screen brought a rare, brief smile to Aoi's face; knowing that there were people out there who wanted to protect her and care for her meant a great deal to her. Akira in particular had risen to the occasion with magnificence after their parents' death—even if, she amended, he'd had to bend or break the law a few times to help the both of them survive.

However, while Akira would always be a decade her senior, Aoi was also sixteen—so she was more than capable of taking care of herself, regardless of what anyone might say to the contrary. Streaming her Duels online brought in enough revenue that it helped pay for at least her share of the rent in this apartment—and it was her hope that, eventually, she'd be able to make enough from that career to start finding her own place to live.

Perhaps, if she was lucky, she'd do it all without even having to rely on Akira as well.

She walked into her bedroom on that note, closed the door, and perched herself on the bed inside; it was always recommended to make sure you were somewhere quiet and comfortable before logging into the cyber-universe of LINK VRAINS. Even if you didn't do much more than take part in chat rooms or spectating Duels, the immersive nature of the environment exhausted the senses, and even the body as well. More than once, Aoi herself had fallen asleep within moments of logging out after a particularly strenuous round of Charisma Duels.

It was with this knowledge that she raised her Duel Disk to her breast, and took a deep breath.

 **"** **INTO THE VRAINS!"**

She watched the screen glow brighter than ever, watched the streams of light and data begin to coalesce around her—watched her almond-brown hair transform into the vivid blue locks that had become her namesake—

* * *

—and half an hour later, she'd found herself in the midst of a rave and that disagreeable _thud-thud-thudding_ music, feeling that immersive nature of cyberspace closing in around her with all the comfort of a wet blanket.

Blue Girl had been waiting in this chat room- _cum_ -nightclub for nearly half that long, ever since she'd been directed by her benefactor to head there. That had been spurred on by a follow-up message her mysterious so-called "fan" had sent shortly after she'd logged in:

 _Can we meet at Server Six tonight? Alone?_

 _There's something I want to ask you. I promise that's all._

The notion of meeting anyone alone, fan or otherwise, was not a welcome prospect for any Charisma Duelist with a large following—and less so for Blue Girl. But she noted that the messenger had not picked out either a time or a place to meet. Perhaps it was meant to be a gesture of good faith, to let her pick the terms for their meeting. But after a brief conference, she'd accepted—on the one condition that they do so within a server and chat room her benefactor would choose in secret.

This server was one of the more popular in LINK VRAINS, so she'd been told—which meant it was that much harder to be overheard, or to be policed by the moderators that moved through the crowds of humans, animals, robots, and all digital avatars in between like burly shadows—digital bouncers to a one.

The Charisma Duelist had no idea what might warrant being overheard by the wrong person—let alone by a mod—in an encounter like this. She had been assured that this person, whoever it was, was clean as a whistle. Perhaps it was for something more private—in which case, it did nothing to sooth her nerves.

A knock sounded on her booth just then. "Someone to see you," grunted a voice that might or might not have been one of the omnipresent mods. Immediately, she tensed.

The privacy curtain fluttered aside, and someone stepped in—a girl, barely Blue Girl's own age and height, if even that. She glanced up for a better look, just quickly enough to catch a brief flash of aquamarine from the girl's eyes, before they darted away to focus on the floor with the air of a person who, for whatever reason, didn't want to look anywhere else—let alone speak even a word as to why. Chest-length, platinum blonde hair spilled down from her head so untidily that she wondered if maybe the girl had sprinted across half of cyberspace just to find this place.

Her clothes looked in considerably better shape—though this was no doubt due to the fact that these were merely woven from data, not cloth, and therefore much more durable. The outfit reminded Blue Girl of a school uniform—though it was not the one she herself wore to Den City High School; where hers was slate and white with bits of blue, _this_ uniform was almost purely either white or black, trimmed with gold, with thigh-high stockings pulled up to where they were mere inches from her skirt.

Blue Girl's immediate impression was of a girl suffering from either a painful level of shyness, or a case of nerves that must have taken a great deal of courage to surpass in just coming here. A quick scan of the data composing her avatar revealed very little evidence of cosmetic customization—meaning that whoever this was, this was roughly how she appeared in real life; therefore, despite her awkwardness, she was somehow comfortable enough with her appearance to port it into LINK VRAINS—or, perhaps, had either no means or no reason to change it.

The _thud-thud-thudding_ music faded away now, replaced by a much slower, synthesizer-heavy beat. The relative drop in noise gave Blue Girl the chance to get the first word in edgewise before her throat would make her regret it.

"So … are you the person who was talking to me half an hour ago?"

A nod—but nothing further. "Who are you?" Blue Girl inquired.

It was hard to tell in the light, but she thought she might have seen the girl's lips move. She frowned. "Mute chat room—set profile to DM only," she muttered, apparently to thin air—causing the noise from the rave outside to instantly become more muffled, allowing for a greater degree of communication between her and the stranger.

"Sorry about that—I hope this is better," she said to the girl. "Did you say something just now?"

She had, as it turned out. "Nobody," came the faint whisper. " … I'm nobody."

That suspicion of 'painful level of shyness' was beginning to look like more of a certainty. Still … "Do I … know you from somewhere?" Blue Girl asked.

The girl shook her head. "I … don't think so," she mumbled. " … I've watched you stream a lot of your Duels." A pause. "You have very pretty monsters."

It was hard to keep her cheeks from flushing at the compliment, Blue Girl thought. "Thanks," she smiled. Feeling as though she should at least show some generosity in return, she gestured around the booth. "Do you feel like sitting down?"

Another nod; moments later, the girl slowly took a seat directly across from her. Her eyes were practically glued to the tabletop. The Charisma Duelist was about to wonder if she'd zoned out all of a sudden before her guest spoke again.

"So … are you Blue Angel?"

It was Blue Girl's turn to nod this time, but: "I … actually go by Blue _Girl_ these days. I took up a … side job recently that's been cutting into my streaming time. That's why my avatar looks different."

" … Oh." She didn't need the privacy filter around the booth to hear the girl's disappointment—but a faint glimmer of hope yet remained within her words. " … Could you … maybe … be Blue Angel again?"

For the first time, her aquamarine eyes met Blue Girl's own. "I … thought you were very pretty as Blue Angel, too."

The words tumbled from her mouth, and her cheeks were a bright, boiling red. Blue Girl doubted she was feeling much more composed; it was rare for anyone to tell her to her face how pretty she looked while inside LINK VRAINS. Playmaker certainly hadn't bothered complimenting her on that level! she thought.

"That's very kind of you to say that," she smiled, before bringing out the Duel Disk clasped to her wrist. "One sec."

A few skillful clicks and drags across the rounded screen sent another wave of data rocketing across her skin; she felt her blue hair lengthening, down to her chest and just past, before twirling itself into twin ponytails. Her clothes were expanding as well, increasing in mass as they bloomed from her waist frill by frill, then past her hips like the petals of a flower—

She took note of the girl's widening eyes as the transformation began to complete itself— _time to get into character_ , she thought as the data waves began to recede from her flesh—

"Ta-da!"

There was just enough room in the booth for her to pull a simple twirl on her toes as the glow of cyber-spatial energy faded away completely—and then Blue Angel stood where Blue Girl had once been, finishing the spectacle with a wave, a wink, and a simple _majokko_ pose for good measure.

By now, her guest's eyes were as wide as saucers, and her mouth had rearranged itself into a perfectly round O. Blue Angel couldn't resist a giggle at the comical expression.

"So!" She twirled round again. "Better?"

It took a while for the gawking girl to nod in reply. " … Y-yeah," she stammered, before catching herself and blinking rapidly. "Sorry … I didn't mean to stare. You're just … really pretty."

"That's all right," Blue Angel told her, winking again and smiling reassuringly. "What's your name?"

The girl's face deflated so suddenly that the Charisma Duelist swore she heard a hiss of escaping air. "I … I already told you," she murmured. "I'm nobody."

Blue Angel didn't buy it. "Oh, nonsense—don't say that! Everybody's _somebody_ in LINK VRAINS!"

The girl blinked slowly at this. It was true, Blue Angel thought—the sky was the limit as far as avatar customization within this cyber-universe. People like Akira or Onizuka Gō might choose to make their avatars unchanged from how they looked in real life—others, like Playmaker, might only change enough of their appearance to make them unrecognizable—while some went all out, hoping to test the limits on just how unique their digital selves could be—

" … Rei."

She needed to cup an ear to be sure she'd heard correctly. "My name's Rei," mumbled the girl.

Blue Angel didn't ask if that was her real name or her online name—more than likely it was the latter, if she was behaving this awkwardly towards her. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Rei!" she said cheerfully, extending a hand. "I _love_ your avatar!"

It took a few long moments for "Rei" to shake her hand back. " … Thanks," she whispered, her cheeks still pink as she gazed at the curtain around them. "It's … really basic, actually. OTPs don't give you a lot of options to change the way you look."

 _An OTP?_ Blue Angel blinked. "You logged into LINK VRAINS with a one-time passcode?" she asked, caught a little off guard. "Just to have a private chat session with me?"

A nod. "Why?"

"I've … already got a profile," Rei replied. "I just … spectate or walk around most of the time, though. Dueling here costs … um … _extra_ with my service provider—a _lot_ extra. Passcodes like this are the cheapest way to … to _really_ enjoy this place.

"And besides," she added, her already quiet voice growing more hushed by the second, "I don't want people to know I'm here."

Blue Angel felt her smile sliding down her face. _Uh-oh_. "Why not?" she asked, worried. "Are you in trouble?"

"N-no!" Rei waved her hands erratically—the most she'd moved in her seat up to that point—but just as quickly, she was as shy and awkward as before. "Um … no. Nothing like that—I just … don't want people to _see_ me here."

There was the faint sound of a gulp. "You probably know by now, I'm not as, um … _open_ as you are"— _that was an understatement_ , thought the Charisma Duelist—"and if I want to talk to someone … I don't want anyone else to listen in. My friends can be … nosy, sometimes. If they knew I was here … or anyone else saw me and told them … they'd pester me until they either knew who I was … or why I came at all."

Blue Angel nodded. "I can see that," she said sympathetically, smiling at Rei in the hopes of bolstering her spirits enough that she could answer her next question. "So—why _did_ you come here, then?"

Rei hunched in her seat, curling her body almost into a ball. It was impossible for Blue Angel to see her lips move against her knees, but the booth was quiet enough for her to at least hear a whisper of indistinct noise from her.

"What was that?"

Rei took a breath. "I … I want to Duel you."

Blue Angel tilted her head. Not only was that the last answer she'd expected, but Rei had gone through a lot of trouble just to tell her those five words. People challenged each other to Duels to their faces all the time—both in the real world and in cyberspace—and were often hotheaded about it in both cases.

" … Hm." It was all she could say for a moment. Then, after a quick thought: "Well, this isn't a 'no', Rei—but I usually send out or reply to invites from people I want to Duel whenever I'm streaming. You could have just waited to challenge me until I started recording my next VOD and sent out one of those invites—why tell me this _here_?"

The girl shrunk in her seat again. Her teal eyes were gazing out towards the rave that still swirled and thudded around them. Blue Angel followed her line of sight—and instantly answered her own question.

"Oh." She looked back Rei. "I get it now. Stage fright?"

Another nod. _No wonder Rei doesn't like people knowing she's in LINK VRAINS_ , Blue Angel thought; her friends and classmates must pressure her to Duel almost constantly, both in and out of cyberspace. Maybe they meant the best for her—it could just be that they were trying to be supportive and encouraging of her Dueling abilities … except they didn't know how much stress all this pressure was causing her in the process.

Well—there was a simple answer to that. "That's actually fine by me, Rei. I've got no problem with wanting to set up something a little more private for a change."

Below the table, where Rei couldn't see, the Charisma Duelist traced her Duel Disk with a finger as she spoke, feeling for a special surface on the flower-like construction. Within seconds she found it—under the blue gem that generated her interactive Deck and Graveyard Zones—and covertly pressed the hidden switch beneath it.

This action done, Blue Angel turned her full attention back to their conversation. "So—why _do_ you want to Duel me?" she asked.

"You … already told me," whispered Rei. Before Blue Angel could look properly confused, she explained, "'Everybody's _somebody_ in LINK VRAINS.' Those were your words—and that's why I … _like_ watching you Duel," she added. "I'm just a nobody … but _you_ … you make me want to be _somebody_. Somebody like you."

Somewhere in Den City, a thousand emotions that no amount of data could accurately reproduce were dancing inside Blue Angel. "That's … that's one of the most _amazing_ things I've ever heard anyone tell me," she said, feeling like she was about to burst into tears—and to heck with all the sappiness that implied—

—before the last three words promptly registered in her brain. "Wait—somebody like _me_?"

Rei nodded again.

"You're telling me … you want to be a Charisma Duelist?"

" … Mm-hm."

Now Blue Angel was pleasantly surprised—it wasn't often that she got to talk shop with anyone, real world or otherwise. Charisma Duelists were, by and large, celebrities within LINK VRAINS, and more often than not liked to keep their real lives private to ward off undue attention, like her. So to encounter another person who wanted to be a Charisma Duelist—and who'd issued a challenge to her in almost the same breath—felt like a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity for her.

"The first thing you should know," she said, "is that it takes more than skill in Dueling to be a Charisma Duelist, Rei. You've got to have … well, _charisma_. Presentation—a reason for people to want to watch your Duels and streams. Otherwise, you're just another Duelist. A-a very good one, I'm sure," she hastily amended, seeing Rei's face droop an inch, "just not an … _entertaining_ one."

She wondered if that was the right word to have chosen—the last thing Blue Angel wanted was for this girl to register any of her advice as insulting, thus losing her an opponent before their Duel had even begun.

"Would you teach me?"

"Hmm?" Blue Angel blinked, certain she'd misheard Rei—but no: "If I beat you … w-would you teach me charisma?"

Blue Angel privately thought that that wasn't a simple thing to ask of her—things like charisma and presentation, where they applied to Dueling, varied from person to person. Often, it wasn't a matter of whether you had it, but how you applied it. To give herself some time to think, she decided to voice the obvious follow-up question.

"What if I beat you? What would happen then?"

Rei shrugged. "I've got a one-time passcode, remember?" Her voice seemed resigned to the worst already. "If I lose, I'll log out of LINK VRAINS, and that'll be the end of it. I'll go to bed a nobody, and wake up a nobody … the same nobody I was before."

Blue Angel had to suppress a knowing smirk. "Until you get your hands on another passcode? Another way into LINK VRAINS, and everything it lets you do?" She leaned in close. "Everything it lets you _become_?"

With each question, Rei's eyes became more and more intent to look everywhere else besides Blue Angel. And yet—though this may have been a trick of the light, or some strange quirk of LINK VRAINS trying to simulate emotion—there was a spark within those aquamarine eyes that the Charisma Duelist was sure hadn't been there before. She could almost read the battle that must be taking place inside this girl's mind, wherever in Den City she might reside—that this was a chance that happened perhaps once in a whole lifetime: a one-on-one chat, and even a Duel, with one of her biggest idols, if not the biggest out there.

She grinned—they could hash out details of who won or lost when they came to it. "C'mon," she offered, standing up from her seat. "I know someplace where we can have ourselves a nice, private Duel—just the two of us. If you want," she added with a wink, "I'll even let you pick out the location. Call it a freebie from me."

Rei's eyes went wide. "I … I don't know. I mean, I-I still want to Duel you," she stammered, "but … I don't think my passcode gives me access to anything except the basic environment."

 _Hm_. Blue Angel hadn't thought of that. Because LINK VRAINS was exclusive to Den City, the old version of it had included many simulations of real-life locations, like Paris or Rome, so that Duelists could experience those locations without needing to travel to them in the first place. That had suffered extreme damage after the Knights of Hanoi had attacked, however, to the point that a new version of the immersive Dueling platform had to be made, one without the reproductions, and was therefore a strictly fantastical location that had no grounding in the real world.

 _Although …_ Akira had mentioned in passing once that his company was beta-testing such locations for use in the new LINK VRAINS. With Speed Duels no longer forbidden, there were special racetracks throughout the realm where they could be conducted in a controlled space, with markers that could respawn Duelists if they veered too far off course, D-Boards and all. The thought of such Duels taking place in the streets of Monte Carlo, or the hoodoos and natural arches of Bryce Canyon, was an intriguing one indeed for Blue Angel.

But it wasn't so tempting as to make her want to break into her brother's files to access those locations—so Blue Angel decided to compromise. She raised her fingers, drawing them through the air; lines of data snaked out from them at right angles, crisscrossing to form a grid—and then a map of the entire LINK VRAINS, which Blue Angel then projected onto the table to form a three-dimensional representation of the entire platform.

Before an awed Rei could respond, the Charisma Duelist snapped her fingers. A series of glowing dots spilled over the whole of that map, blanketing entire sectors of the cyber-realm, though only peppering others—and some only had one or two pinpoints of light to their name, if any at all.

"Here's the location of every user logged into LINK VRAINS right now," she explained to the girl. She gestured to the part of the map that looked the most densely populated at present; two dots were flashing on-and-off so closely together as to almost totally overlay with one another. "And here's where we are right now.

"Now, I masked my IP address before I got here," Blue Angel continued, "so that anybody we didn't know wouldn't be able to intrude on our conversation. After that, it's all up to you. I can already guess you want to find the place with the least amount of people present, just to be safe—but from there, I'll let you choose where to take our Duel."

Rei stared at the map for a long time, her teal eyes drinking it in, searching for an ideal place. Finally, she pointed at a spot in the northwestern corner: one of the more remote sectors of the platform, Blue Angel noted—empty but for a simple Duel track, more akin to a motorsports road course than a roller coaster, with a few pathable islands to link parts of the circuit together. There were no dots—no avatars—for nearly three whole sectors in every direction.

 _Perfect_. "You want to do a Speed Duel, then?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah. I-I've never tried it before, but … I don't know," she said, with a weak little laugh. "The more time I spend with you, the more I feel like I … like I _should_. I-I don't think I'll be any good, though."

"Let's not worry about that right now," soothed Blue Angel. "So—are you ready, then?"

Another nod. Blue Angel couldn't help but giggle at that. "Here's another freebie for you, Rei," she told her. "If you want to be a Charisma Duelist—then you've got to _show_ me you want to be one." She finished this with a cutesy wink that she reserved for when she _really_ wanted to draw in her audience.

Rei stood there for a few long moments before the thought occurred to her that perhaps Blue Angel was waiting for her to do something. Her eyes widened, and she made a silent "oh!" with her mouth before looking round, as if to make sure no one else was looking. But she need not have worried, Blue Angel thought—another song had struck up again while they had been talking, and the bass beat that throbbed against her bones was loud enough that no one in the rave outside could possibly overhear them now.

Finally, Rei cleared her throat, and took a deep breath. "Blue Angel!" she called out, her voice louder than it had ever been before. "I challenge you!"

 _That's more like it!_ Even as Blue Angel grinned in anticipation, a black-and-red bracelet she knew to be a Duel Disk had materialized on Rei's left wrist.

 **"** **INTO THE VRAINS!"**

No sooner had Rei cried out the last three words than their avatars began to fritz and distort, glowing with multicolored lights as the two girls were transported to their venue, and the battle to come …

* * *

 **A/N: Shout-out to "GM-san" for helping to pre-read this thing.**

 **This is only going to be a one-time experiment, for those of you wondering why I'm stepping off my usual fare for a change. Sometimes I have those ideas that refuse to go away until I put pen to paper. This is hardly the first such occasion, either—and I doubt it will be the last.**

 **I'm expecting this to last about three chapters—four at the most. The second one should be up over the weekend, and will kick off the Duel proper. Time will tell on updates from there.**

 **Until then, rate and review at your leisure—and thanks for reading! – K**


	2. II

II

Two streams of data streaked side by side through the sky of LINK VRAINS, not unlike a pair of shooting stars. Below them, in the primary hub of the platform, the sight excited some newcomers for a few brief moments, but passed by unnoticed by everyone else—either because they were too quick to be noticed at all, or because the sight was so commonplace for them now that there was no reason to get distracted from their own Duels.

In any case, it wasn't long before the few people whose attention had been diverted now returned to matters at hand, completely oblivious to what was taking place far away.

* * *

Byte by byte—quicker than it took for her thought process to properly describe—Blue Angel felt the data stream that composed her digital self reforming into her normal avatar. Her feet came first, then her waist and torso, and finally her arms and head—blue pigtails and all. She felt herself expel a breath that she didn't know she'd been holding in the first place—it was one thing to travel from the real world to LINK VRAINS and back again, but to travel between two points in cyberspace was another.

Evidently, it was a feeling Rei was not used to in the slightest. The Charisma Duelist's imminent opponent had lost whatever sense of confidence she'd had when she'd challenged Blue Angel just a minute ago. The girl's blonde hair looked more tangled than ever as she stumbled out from the data stream that had been her own avatar; her green eyes were spinning like pinwheels, and her face was rapidly approaching a similar color.

"Are you okay?" Blue Angel knew that it was very rare to be sick in cyberspace—although even then, what few emoticons granted that characteristic never left a lasting mess—but she still felt concerned for her opponent, given that this had been her first real foray into LINK VRAINS, and therefore her first time being digitally transported within the realm itself.

Rei held up a hand, nodding weakly. "I've … felt worse," she said, taking a few grateful, gulping breaths of air. "Just … just give me a second."

"Okay. Take a minute to look around if you want." Blue Angel privately thought that Rei could take her time doing so—this place certainly had enough of a view that the journey ought to be worth the discomfort of the trip.

The island they were standing on was an architectural mishmash of concrete and steel, composed of dozens—hundreds—of different-styled buildings clumped together in defiance of conventional geometry and reason, right side up, upside down, and side-to-side alike. Some of the smaller structures clung to the more massive ones, like the barnacles lining some great aquatic beast, further underscoring how this new Dueling platform had surpassed the limits of its predecessor. So far removed was this city-cloud from the immense primary hub of that platform that Blue Angel could only make out a vague sliver of white light a hairsbreadth wide, while its surrounding servers, chat rooms, and other points of interest were nothing more than a pale blue pyramid the size of her thumbnail.

In the great gulf of sky that separated this island from all others in the distance, currents of data—their vivid colors ranging anywhere from dark purple to a vivid blue—drifted lazily in the air, twisting and turning every few hundreds of feet. Blue Angel knew these to be imitations of the far more powerful Data Storms, Gales, Cyclones, Tsunamis and more besides—anomalies that had plagued the old LINK VRAINS, with transmission speeds so blindingly fast that most Duelists were suspended from the network for a time if security caught them trying to ride one. It didn't matter whether they succeeded or not—the risk of having their accounts overloaded with data, thereby preventing them from logging out, was too great.

But Blue Angel also knew that over the last three months, SOL Technologies had studied these Data Storms enough to make them safer for any Duelists lured by the thrill of a Speed Duel—such like the one she was about to start. With the aid of their D-Boards, Duelists could "ride" these weaker data currents without the risk of being devoured by them, thanks to the pale yellow crystals that bordered them every so often: a combination of distance marker and quick-save point, it was these crystals that ensured the safety of any Duelist who rode the data currents of LINK VRAINS, in or out of a Duel.

The Charisma Duelist stood there for a few long moments, admiring the view, before turning back to Rei. "Feeling better now?" she asked.

" … Yeah." Rei nodded slowly, having walked up beside her to see the view as well. "It's beautiful from here … "

"What makes you say that?" Blue Angel wanted to know.

"I like being in places like this," replied Rei, gazing at the pink-hued sky. "They're quiet … empty. There's no noise or clutter in them at all. It helps me focus a lot better."

Blue Angel noted that Rei was indeed speaking less hesitantly than when they'd first met in that chat room. Just another hallmark, she suspected, of a lonely introvert who was on the cusp of wanting to come out of their shell—but was, for whatever reason, reluctant to follow through.

Perhaps that would change today, thought the Charisma Duelist—before a sudden rush of sound distracted her.

The blue currents of data that flowed past them had increased in volume slightly, like the waves at the bottom of a waterslide—the only sign that a swimmer was about to emerge at the bottom of the ride. Only it wasn't a swimmer that was coming, Blue Angel knew; she'd been Dueling in LINK VRAINS long enough to know when a pair of D-Boards was on its way. It was funny, though; she'd expected this flume of data to be _bigger_ —

Then she saw the object streaking towards them from off to her left, and felt her face scrunch up in confusion: a sea-green shape, trimmed with white at the edges with vivid red fins at either side, had floated up to her. Moments later, as if by magic, it had stopped mere inches from where she stood, at the edge of the city-island, faithfully waiting for her to climb on.

Blue Angel's surprise wasn't due to the fact that her _old_ D-Board had showed up—indeed, in hindsight this should have been expected, since she'd gone to the trouble of using her old avatar for tonight. What _did_ surprise her was that there should have been _another_ D-Board to arrive along with hers, for Rei to use in their Duel.

So why didn't it come?

She turned around. "Where's your D-Board?"

Rei was far too late in averting her gaze from her; immediately, Blue Angel knew something was up. "You … _do_ know about Speed Duels, right?" she asked, trying to keep the incredulity out of her voice.

"Of course I do," Rei muttered. "I read the bullet points: four cards instead of five for the opening hand; three zones for monsters, Spells, and Traps instead of five; only one Main Phase, too. But I thought they gave you a D-Board by default if you didn't—"

She clapped a hand to her mouth—again far too late; Blue Angel felt her mind screech to a halt as she put two and two together.

"You're telling me you wanted to challenge me to a Speed Duel— _without a D-Board_?" she asked in disbelief.

"I only had enough money for the passcode!" Rei blurted out, before her cheeks suddenly boiled crimson; almost immediately, her face had turned contrite.

"I-I'm sorry … " she whispered. "I didn't m-mean to shout. B-but cards can be expensive, and I d-didn't have a lot left over to make sure I was … ready for LINK VRAINS. Maybe … once I become a Charisma Duelist," she said, a tiny glimmer of hope working its way into her voice, "I can start … start streaming enough to afford one."

Blue Angel was already beginning to wonder if she'd bitten off more than she could chew. But they were already at the Duel course; the journey here alone was enough that if she logged out now, Blue Angel would be out like a light for the next few hours—enough for a nap, but not for a good night's sleep.

There was nothing for it but to see it through, the Charisma Duelist knew —and so she breathed in, trying to force a smile and suppress a resigned sigh at the same time.

"Okay—so, how _do_ you plan on fighting a Speed Duel without a D-Board?" she asked.

"I … had to _really_ experiment with the avatar creation menus to find out," Rei mumbled. "There's … not a lot of customization a one-time passcode can give you, I said before—but there are still _some_ options."

She stepped forward. "I … hope they'll be enough."

So did Blue Angel—if whatever custom avatar Rei had made for herself didn't at least let her stay afloat in the data streams, then this was going to be a _very_ monotonous Duel—monotonous in the sense that the path markers would have to fish her out of the digital æther every five seconds.

The Charisma Duelist stepped onto her D-Board, therefore, with no small amount of trepidation, feeling the craft wobble under her feet. At least the modifications to her own avatar allowed her to manifest cables from her hands; perhaps, if nothing else, Blue Angel could tow Rei from behind like a jet ski while they Dueled—though she did not relish having to put Rei through such a humiliating experience, with what was on the line.

"Last time I ask, then," she told the girl, breaking her façade to assume a more serious expression. "From here on out, Rei, there's no turning back. I may act all cutesy and charming—but I won't be handing out freebies all day. Like I said before—if you really want this, you're going to have to show me."

Rei took another deep breath, closing her eyes. "I understand," she said quietly.

Then, just as quickly, she opened her eyes again, and that glimmer of hope—or whatever substitute cyberspace could reproduce—was back in their aquamarine depths. "So let's go!" she called out. **"SPEED DUEL!"**

Several things happened at once just then: as Blue Angel was propelled away from the city-cloud, her Duel Disk had blipped to life. A tiny screen had been projected over its flower-shaped surface, displaying a Life Point counter of 4000, and the digital surfaces of the four cards that formed her opening hand. A teal ring of data briefly cycled along its length, with three ridges that separated the Graveyard from the Main Deck and Extra Deck, before winking out of existence.

But none of this mattered to Blue Angel; her eyes were entirely on Rei. For before the Charisma Duelist could stop her, Rei—her own Duel Disk glimmering with a scarlet ring and a similar display of cards—had leapt off the ledge … and physically _dived into the data stream_.

Yet even as Blue Angel felt her heart leap into her mouth, Rei broke the surface of the current mere seconds later—and somehow looking none the worse for wear. An instant later, she knew why: a sheen of blues and greens had enveloped Rei's body from top to bottom, concentrating around her feet before bearing her upward like a cork on whitewater. Nor did it stop there: some of those blues and greens were now spreading from her shoulders, extending outwards some four or five feet before streamlining into bladelike shapes of white—

 _Wings?!_

Blue Angel had to close her eyes, then open them again, just to make sure she wasn't seeing things. But no: somehow, Rei had found out a way to alter her avatar so that it didn't need a D-Board to participate in a Speed Duel—rather, it could either skate on the data currents instead, or just hover above them completely!

 _That's …_ very _inventive_ , she thought to herself, impressed beyond her will. _She must have lucked out with the passcode she was able to get. It might do for me to have a look at its capabilities myself one day_.

For now: "I've taken the lead—so I'll take the first turn!" Blue Angel cried, steering her D-Board into the first corner of the course. Rei followed behind—slowly but surely gaining on her.

A quick look at her opening hand provided Blue Angel a perfect place to start. "First—the Field Spell: _Trickstar Light Stage_!" She threw out a hand, brushing against one of the cards that hovered in front of her as she did so. Thus activated, it disappeared from her hand; moments later, multicolored lights began to bathe the sky from above, as if a dozen aurorae had suddenly emerged from the heavens to shine down upon the ensuing Duel.

" _Light Stage's_ first effect!" continued Blue Angel. "When it's activated, I can add a _Trickstar_ monster from my Deck to my hand!" She held her right hand flat against her Duel Disk, waiting for the green ring from before to eject the card she wanted. Within moments, that was exactly what happened. "I'll add _Trickstar Candina_ —then Normal Summon it in Attack Position!"

She slid the digital card back along that ring, where it disappeared into cyber-fragments—but just as quickly, a vivid blue hexagon had erupted directly behind her, churning with untold amounts of data. From this portal emerged a blonde-haired young woman in an orange-yellow dress with enough frills to match Blue Angel's own outfit, brandishing a megaphone and striking a classic idol pose (Level 4: _ATK 1800_ /DEF 800).

" _Trickstar Candina's_ effect!" the Charisma Duelist went on. "When it's Normal Summoned, I can add a _Trickstar_ card from my Deck to my hand!" Again she laid her fingers flush with the Duel Disk—again, a card was spat out from her Deck slot and into her waiting hand.

But not for long—because: "I add _Trickstar Lilybell_ —and then, because I added this cutie to my hand instead of drawing it, I'll use its effect to Special Summon it—this time in _Defense_ Position!"

"Cutie", indeed, was a good way to describe this second monster, she thought as a second six-sided shape bloomed behind and to her right; moments later, it faded to reveal a little girl wielding a gigantic bell as though it was a war hammer (Level 2: ATK 800/ _DEF 2000_ ). Enormous pink pigtails—almost the size of the girl they belonged to—trailed behind _Lilybell_ as she settled into a protective stance beside _Candina_.

"It only gets better from here!" The currents had taken them onto a straightaway by now, and Blue Angel took advantage of the moment to strike a pose for Rei, still hovering behind her on those intriguing wings of hers—though she was gradually picking up steam.

She winked at the girl. "Because now, I'll activate _Trickstar Lycorissica's_ effect from my hand!" Blue Angel cried, triggering a third card above her Duel Disk. "I can Special Summon it by targeting another _Trickstar_ I control, and returning that back to my hand! So I'll return my _Candina_ to bring out _Lycorissica_!"

This time, the portal that rippled into being behind her was more to Blue Angel's left, as was the monster that flew out of it: tall and slender, with a black-and-red dress that clashed magnificently with her long burgundy hair. A razor-sharp blade, wholly at odds with the girl that wielded it, sliced through the air with the grace that only came with years of skill (Level 3: _ATK 1600_ /DEF 1200).

At the same time, _Candina_ had shimmered into a glowing ball of data, shrinking away to nothing; moments later, yet another card had appeared over Blue Angel's Duel Disk.

It was one of the Charisma Duelist's most popular combinations—not unlike the one, she recalled, used to open up her Duel against Playmaker. But Blue Angel had learned some tricks since then—some of which still had yet to be revealed to the general public.

She could wait for that day, though; this wasn't the time for _her_ to show off, she thought, staring intently at Rei. But at the same time, she also needed to let this girl know she wasn't about to be a pushover and make this _easy_.

And so, as they began to enter another long, winding corner on the track, she acted:

 **"** **Come out—the circuit of dreams and hope! Arrowheads confirmed!"**

Blue Angel threw her hand skywards at the last word; lightning erupted from her fingertips, creating a fountain of energy that surged into the air. A short distance above her, that lightning converged onto a single point—

"The summoning condition is one Level 2 or lower _Trickstar_ monster," Blue Angel said, watching intently at Rei—she could see the girl's green eyes widen, knowing full well what was about to happen. "I set _Trickstar Lilybell_ in the Link Markers!"

The lightning that had been festering above her now bloomed into an explosion of light, revealing yet another portal, though one different from the others thus far: circular rather than hexagonal, and lined with precisely eight triangles. The young _Lilybell_ was presently soaring towards the bottom-most such triangle, lost to sight in the time it took to blink—the triangle suddenly began to glow a vivid red as she finally disappeared—

 **"** **Link Summon!"** cried the Charisma Duelist. **"Appear! Link-1:** ** _Trickstar Bloom_** **!"**

The portal above her now turned inside out, transforming itself into the petals of some gigantic flower. A new monster was emerging within: small and dressed in green, with brown hair tied back in pigtails as thick as sea ropes. _Bloom_ took just enough time to tip a cutesy wink in Rei's direction, before perching itself in front and to the right of Blue Angel, on the same cutting of flower from which it had arrived (ATK 1500: **LINK–1** , **BM** ).

Blue Angel frowned at this, then rolled her eyes; it looked as though the interface on her Duel Disk was failing to display the visual cues of the Link Arrows again, having reverted them to simple abbreviated text instead. This had been a persistent, if minor, bug throughout her Dueling career in LINK VRAINS; it certainly had no bearing on how tonight's Duel would play out, but there wasn't a lot she could do to fix it, either—which just made it that much more annoying. She made a mental note to talk to Akira about it when she woke up tomorrow.

 _So—where was I?_ " _Trickstar Bloom's_ effect activates when it's Link Summoned," the Charisma Duelist explained, "and lets you draw a card! But don't go thinking of that as one more freebie, Rei," she winked, smirking slightly as she watched the girl raise her hand to her Duel Disk, where it ejected a card from nowhere into her waiting fingers. "I already said I wouldn't be handing those out all day—not even to you.

"And that's because of _Trickstar Lycorissica's_ second effect!" she cried. "Each time you add a card to your hand—no matter how many, when or why—you take 200 damage for each added card!"

 _Lycorissica_ spun its sword through the air, faster and faster until it sparked with golden energy. Then, all of a sudden, it _flicked_ out with the tip of its blade, sending that energy right for Rei. The blast that followed was far from painful—the safety systems inside LINK VRAINS saw to that—but it was still enough to make the girl wobble in her flight path, sending her mere inches away from one of the crystal markers bordering the currents before she was able to recover—and sending her Life Points to 3800 as well.

" _Trickstar Light Stage's_ second effect!" Blue Angel went on. "Each time a _Trickstar_ monster inflicts damage—again, no matter how, when, or why—you take 200 _more_ damage after that!"

The aurora of lights above them intensified, their brilliance focused for only a moment into a single burst of green light. The beam passed through Rei with all the blowback of a sudden gust of wind, causing her to wobble erratically in her flight again. This time, however, the girl recovered slightly more quickly; there was a whole foot to spare between her and the off-course markers.

 _She's getting the hang of it_. Blue Angel nodded approvingly at this—and at Rei's LP gauge, now reading 3600—before she acted again. " _Then_ , because you took effect damage," she called out, tapping another card in her digital hand, "my _Trickstar Narkiss_ can Special Summon itself from my hand! Come on out!"

And yet another hexagon flared directly behind her. The monster that appeared had blonde hair similar to _Candina_ , though in a different style, while her dress was green-and-black rather than bright citrus throughout. From somewhere behind this garment, _Narkiss_ now produced a flower-like gun, aiming it squarely at Rei as she finally drifted onto the field (Level 4: _ATK 1000_ /DEF 1800).

"Now for the star of the show!" _Oh, this never gets old_. "This time, the Summoning conditions are not one, but _two_ _Trickstar_ monsters! I set my _Trickstar Bloom_ and my _Trickstar Narkiss_ in the Link Markers!"

As Blue Angel rounded the curve, she saw the long straightaway of data ahead—and the new circular portal that had just opened up in front of them. Grinning, she lunged forward on her D-Board, accelerating to breakneck speed; then, with a sweep of her arms, _Bloom_ and _Narkiss_ soared ahead of her, flying heedlessly inside—

 **"** **Shine! The circuit of courage and determination!**

 **"** **Arrowheads confirmed—** ** _Link Summon_** **!"** chanted Blue Angel. **"Appear! Link-** ** _2_** **:** ** _Trickstar Holly Angel_** **!"**

The data tunnel consumed _Bloom_ and _Narkiss_ , and herself soon after—but just as quickly, Blue Angel was through, and with company: a second Link Monster had materialized where _Bloom_ had been floating just a second ago, just ahead of _Lycorissica_. A ponytail of long blonde hair whipped behind her, an equally long dress, shining with many shades of blue, trailed on either side—while a sinuous, thorny flail coiled round her arm, lashing at thin air as if it were alive (ATK 2000/ **LINK–2, BL-BR** ).

The sight of her iconic Link Monster always brought joy to Blue Angel, and everyone else who watched her Dueling streams. She turned back just long enough to glance at her opponent—still floating on those data-wings of hers—and knew instantly that Rei was no exception. Even from this distance, Blue Angel could see that the look on her face, as she watched _Holly Angel_ perform a few lazy aerials in the air, was nothing short of sheer, giddy awe.

 _I love this job._ There was no need to show off any further now that her ace monster was on the field, so: "I end my turn with that," she said, winking at Rei and showing off another _majokko_ pose on her D-Board.

"Give it your all for me, Rei!" she called out encouragingly. "Show me what you can do!"

They flitted through a chicane—left, then right. As Rei had been doing her all to accelerate up to where she could keep in step with Blue Angel, she needed a moment to slow down and concentrate on not only the path ahead, but whatever strategy she'd cooked up to answer her own.

Then they were through, veering onto another straightaway. Finally, with a deep breath, Rei acted. " … _Draw_."

She flicked her hand, producing a card from nowhere. Blue Angel remembered her _Bloom's_ effect—how this had now given Rei the same size of opening hand as a Master Duel.

She also remembered her _Lycorissica's_ effect—moments before the young woman began twirling her sword again. " _Lycorissica's_ effect can apply itself even during your Draw Phase," she reminded Rei, watching more golden lightning flash along the blade, "and inflicts 200 damage for every card you add to your hand!"

The sword _flicked_ out again. Rei winced as if stung; _Lycorissica's_ effect had struck her right in the leg, sending her LP further down to 3400—"which then activates my _Light Stage's_ effect," Blue Angel added, "and inflicts 200 more damage to you!"

Another beam of green energy raced from the lights in the sky above, washing over Rei and sending her LP to 3200—but Blue Angel knew that wasn't all. "And _Lycorissica's_ effect also triggers my _Holly Angel's_ effect!" she cried, gesturing to her ace monster. "Each time a _Trickstar_ monster inflicts damage to you—doesn't matter how, doesn't matter why—it gains that much more ATK!"

Sure enough, those thorns lining the flail in _Holly Angel's_ hand looked that much longer—and that much sharper; Rei's teal eyes were seen to flit between those and the monster's point gauge, now updated to **_2200_**.

Now Rei's lips were moving; Blue Angel needed to fiddle with her volume settings briefly so she could make out what she might be saying.

" … Okay, Rei," the girl was saying to herself. "Remember what she said … charisma … presentation … give it your all … then show her what you can do!"

A smiling Blue Angel needed no change in volume for that last part. _Here we go …_ she thought, quivering with anticipation—

 **"** **Declaring emergency code zero-zero-zero!"** Rei yelled, swiping a card from her digital hand. **"Mobilize! Sword Arts Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Startup – Engage_** **!"**

Blue Angel drew back, perplexed. "Sword Arts Spell?" she repeated, more to herself than anyone else. She consulted the Duel history function on her Duel Disk, which confounded her even more: this Sword Arts Spell was just a regular Spell Card. _So why the distinction?!_

Then she looked back at Rei—and gasped.

A heavy-looking _katana_ had appeared in front of Rei: black glass, thrumming with red energy, and grasped in her hands with the steadiness of a practiced swordsman—steadiness that she wouldn't have thought possible from the nervous, awkward girl up until now.

But what was even more shocking was the fact that this sword was _physically changing Rei's avatar_ —the obsidian material that composed it was spreading over her body as though it was molten, disintegrating her skirt, morphing it into a form-fitting black bodysuit. Dark red energy now became bright green, crisscrossing this new outfit with a dozen glowing lines. Plates of gleaming white armor knit themselves together from apparently thin air, covering Rei's legs, waist and arms in the time it took to draw breath—

"I can activate this card if there are no monsters in my Main Monster Zones," Rei told her, even as her unexpected transformation continued, enveloping her head, "and add another _Flash Sword_ card from my Deck to my hand!"

Blue Angel had recovered from her confusion enough to register this card's effect. "That triggers my _Lycorissica's_ effect!" she shot back, "and that triggers the effects of both my _Light Stage_ and my _Holly Angel_!"

Yellow and green energy flashed from every direction; by the time the light had faded, Rei's LP now rested at 2800—with Holly Angel's ATK now at **_2400_** —but Blue Angel saw how progressively less Rei was reacting to the visual and physiological effects of her strategy. Before long, they wouldn't even faze her.

 **"** **Engage tactical overlay!"** cried Rei, activating a second card, then flipping a switch on a white headset that hadn't been there before. **"Sword Arts Field Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Airspace – Area Zero_** **!"**

Her teal eyes now danced with multicolored lights: Blue Angel was just close enough to make out the futuristic-looking map of grids, arcs, and symbols that had materialized right in front of Rei's face: a heads-up display, and as seamlessly integrated a one as the Charisma Duelist had ever seen.

And Rei wasn't done. **"Commence insertion procedure! Sword Arts Continuous Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Engine – Multirole_** **!"** She thrust her sword high at this last, drawing it through the air in a wide circle—and Blue Angel gawked at the massive, mechanical hexagon that began assembling behind Rei as if from nowhere, its surface glowing with an ice-blue light that reminded her uncannily of a monster portal.

By now, Blue Angel was beginning to recover from Rei's strategy so far; it looked as though she'd taken her advice on charisma and presentation more deeply to heart than she'd let on. Rei, for whatever reason, had elected to make every card she played sound like some sort of systems check—which Blue Angel had never heard any Duelist do, Charisma or otherwise. The thought of every single card this girl was going to play having its own mini-chant was interesting … if terribly long-winded; only the strangeness of this girl's cards was what kept Blue Angel attentive.

Meanwhile: "Now I'll Set one card," Rei was saying, watching a giant face-down card flicker and fade before her in the span of a single moment, "and then activate my _Multirole's_ effect! By targeting another card I control, and sending it to the Graveyard, I can prevent you from responding to any Spell Cards I activate this turn!"

Blue Angel drew back. _So I can't activate any cards or effects when she plays a Spell?!_ It was both good news and bad news; the damage-dealing effects of her _Trickstars_ were continuous effects, which meant _Lycorissica_ could still deal damage via its effect— _and maybe that I should have left_ Candina _on the field_ , she thought; its own damaging effect would have seen much greater use here.

"I target and destroy my _Area Zero_!" cried Rei, whipping a hand across her face to dispel the telemetry in front of it, "and then activate my _Area Zero's_ effect! If a card effect sends it from the Field Zone to my Graveyard, I can Special Summon a _Flash Sword Princess_ monster from my Deck!"

The glint in her aquamarine eyes was beginning to reach the level of freshly sharpened steel. "So I'll Summon _Flash Sword Princess – Raye_ in Attack Position!"

Behind her, the giant six-sided machine flashed from within, projecting a number of beams onto her avatar. Data was shimmering along her limbs, traveling across her torso, then up to her brain—but there was no sign of whatever this _Flash Sword Princess_ monster was.

Mystified, Blue Angel checked her Duel Disk, wondering if perhaps the Summon had been illegal for whatever reason, and was therefore canceled. But a quick look at the Duel history showed no illicit moves—indeed, there was even an orange graphic for a monster card in Rei's middle Monster Zone, directly in front of her.

Yet a second look back at Rei revealed nothing at all, even though a point gauge (Level 4: _ATK 1500_ /DEF 1500) was fading away from right above her. The Charisma Duelist turned round in a full circle on her D-Board, scanning the course and the digital skies beyond, searching for any sign of a Duel Monster—

—before promptly whirling back around as it hit her: that gauge she'd seen had appeared _right above_ Rei for a very good reason. The girl hadn't simply _Summoned_ a Duel Monster—she'd _turned into_ a Duel Monster!

At once amazed and bewildered, the Charisma Duelist could do nothing but feel her jaw flap in the wind, slack as could be. "Rei—how in the world did you _do_ that?!" she demanded, completely out of character—and with good reason: she had _never_ , not in all the time she'd been streaming as Blue Angel, seen any Duelist literally become their Duel Monster before!

" _Raye_ 's a very special monster in my Deck," Rei answered her back. "I made her when I was six. I'd draw her all the time after that, saving the world from evil aliens, computer viruses … pretending it was me the whole time … "

She sighed, her teal eyes wistful. "My babysitter was part-time with SOLTech back then. One day, she saw my drawings, and she loved them so much that she took one to work with her. She was able to turn it into an actual Duel Monster … based on the girl she loved to play with more than anyone else."

"Aw—that's so sweet!" Blue Angel crooned; the heartwarming story had almost made her forget her surprise at what Rei's Deck could do— _almost_. "I wish I could see your drawings!"

Rei's face fell—or was it _Raye's_? Blue Angel thought; the similarity in their names was enough that she was starting to wonder if she'd been misspelling it in her brain this whole time. "I … don't have them anymore," she said sadly. "They got misplaced when we moved recently. I don't think I'll ever see them again."

Then she smiled. "But that's okay. My babysitter made me realize something more important: that _Duel Monsters_ could help me to be whoever I wanted. I learned how to play the game because of her—and even if I didn't have the Deck or the courage to be any good at it, I knew that as long as I had _Raye_ with me, I could still make my dreams come to life like she did, no matter how sad I felt, or how big the odds I faced!

"Which is why," she continued, "I'm going to show you just what this one monster can do!"

Blue Angel, who had been feeling a bigger and bigger swell of pride in this girl with every word she spoke, felt that upwelling of emotion suddenly freeze in its tracks as her eyes widened. _She's going to—?!_

 **"** **Link Flight Control: Code Green!"** Rei started chanting. **"Clear for insertion, go for launch! Arrowheads confirmed!"**

The immense machine of _Multirole_ , still floating behind her, now appeared to be gaining on Rei—or was it that she was simply slowing down—?

"The Summoning conditions are one non-WIND _Flash Sword Princess_ monster!" Rei called out, fists clenched and data-wings stretched to their fullest as _Multirole_ filled the sky behind her. "So I set my DARK-Attribute _Raye_ in the Link Markers!"

Data was beginning to stream from _Multirole_ again, more than ever before—limbs, waist, torso, and finally her head were engulfed in the miniature sea of digital information, compressing itself along her body—

 **"Link Summon!** **Deploy Sword Arts, Tactical Mode: X-ray-zero-zero-four! Callsign:** ** _Flash Sword Princess – Hayate_** **!"**

The data that had clumped around Rei suddenly dispelled, revealing a sight more unbelievable than any Blue Angel had seen in this Duel so far—and that was saying something.

Rei was still there in front of her—but the digital outfit her avatar had been encased in was wholly different from the white-and-black bodysuit from before, and much bigger to boot. Dark green armor, lined with more black, white, and gold, covered her body from the neck down. The wings she'd been using to fly through the Duel course were nowhere to be seen, replaced by gigantic jets on her back, and smaller thrusters on her streamlined boots. One armored gauntlet carried a heavy green shield; the other, an immense, bright green claymore that pulsed with lightning (ATK 1500/ **LINK–1, BL** ).

Blue Angel never would have dreamed she'd find herself in a Duel like this. All trace of her bubbly attitude had vanished, washed away as if by the very data current they were surfing right now—replaced by some insane desire to see _more_ of … whatever it was this hitherto unknown, self-described "nobody" was doing.

"I mean this from the heart, Rei," she said, trying her best to keep a level tone—and epically failing. "That is the _coolest_ thing I've ever seen—it's like you're not only _cosplaying_ as your Duel Monsters, but acting the part as well! How are you doing all this with just a simple one-time passcode?!"

"It isn't the passcode that's doing it," Rei replied, sheathing the giant blade of _Hayate_ so as to give herself a free hand. "Whoever designed my cards put an .obj file in each of them—so whenever I play one, it generates a code object that behaves like it, too. I found that out the first time I entered LINK VRAINS with one of my friends, and we tried to have a Duel. I … got so shocked by what happened that I, um … logged out before I could play another card," she added, blushing furiously. "I got teased for weeks after that."

"So—wait, you mean that you can turn every card in your Deck into a weapon?" Blue Angel asked. "Or a suit of armor that you can actually wear?"

"Just in LINK VRAINS," shrugged Rei. "I don't really know how to explain it; it's better if I just show you—like right now!"

As she flicked another card with her free hand, she replaced her shield on her back. Then— **"Option Sierra-zero-two-eight, deploy!"** she howled. **"Sword Arts Quick-Play Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Mecha – Shark Cannon_** **!"**

She brought her armored hands together, generating a cluster of data that swirled outward from her hands, expanding into a giant pincer-like weapon, almost as long as Rei was tall, that pulsed with golden light.

"Like many of my _Flash Sword_ cards, _Shark Cannon_ can only be activated if I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones," explained Rei. "And when I activate _this_ one, I can target a monster in my opponent's Graveyard and banish it—like _Trickstar Lilybell_!"

Blue Angel swerved just in time; the twin bursts of energy that radiated from the claw-cannon Rei had created would have caught her in the chest—and probably sent her off course as well—if she hadn't avoided it otherwise. But the damage was done; the blast had nicked her Duel Disk to the point that when she inspected the device, she noticed a distinct lack of _Lilybell_ in her Graveyard Zone.

 _Well, shoot_. Besides _Holly Angel_ , _Lilybell_ was one of her favorite monsters to use because it was so versatile—it could be Special Summoned from just about anywhere she wanted as long as she used a card to add it to the hand first. She had ways to bring back banished cards, of course—but there was no guarantee that she'd be able to use them, either.

 _So I'm minus one of the best monsters in my Deck until then. No big deal_ , she thought wryly. At least _Lycorissica_ was still on her field; the damage her effect had done to Rei at this point in the Duel had already ensured she'd paid for herself.

That was when Rei yelled, **"X-ray-zero-zero-four—Special Option Activate! Sword Arts Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Maneuver – Vectored Blast_** **!"**

Blue Angel turned back just in time to see Rei activate yet another Spell from her hand— _how many more of these are in her Deck?!_ she wondered—before unhooking _Hayate's_ shield from where she'd placed it prior.

"When I activate _this_ card," Rei told her, "we both send the top two cards of our Deck to the Graveyard!" She placed a free hand over her Deck Zone slot, sliding out a pair of cards, before placing them in the adjacent Graveyard Zone. Blue Angel mirrored her, feeling a slight thud in her stomach once she saw the cards Rei's card had milled—although one of them might be useful later on, she thought.

"My _Flash Sword_ cards also have an additional effect that I can activate, if I have at least three Spells in my Graveyard!" Rei went on. " _Vectored Blast's_ additional effect can shuffle every monster you control in an Extra Monster Zone right back into the Deck!"

 _What?!_ Blue Angel's jaw fell open once more. _She can get rid of Holly Angel that easily?!_

Rei, meanwhile, had unsheathed _Hayate's_ sword as well as her shield, both of which were not only sparking with yet more green lightning, but changing shape as well. The enormous blade was splitting down the middle, and elongating to nearly half its length again—nearly half as long again as Rei was tall. Rei now placed the hilt in her shield, which was unfurling like a flower in bloom—

The Charisma Duelist failed to suppress a gulp. _… Oh boy_.

"Ready?" Rei called out. " _Aim_ … FIRE!"

And oh, did it fire, thought a wild-eyed Blue Angel: _Hayate's_ sword-turned-orbital bombardier let fly with a gigantic wave of lightning and sound that consumed the field in an instant. She instinctively shielded her eyes and ears so as to prevent herself from going blind or deaf, refusing to lower her elbow until she knew for sure that the stars in her vision were simply that, and not some aftereffect or onset of a seizure.

When she was finally convinced that wouldn't be the case any longer, she gazed at the field—and failed to keep her jaw from dropping. _Holly Angel_ , her pride and joy, was simply _gone_. Even though Blue Angel knew full well that she could bring it back—and she intended to do just that next turn—the visual display that had caused its removal in the first place had been an aweing experience indeed.

"Whoa … " she could only say.

"I thought you'd like it." Rei laughed as she balanced _Hayate's_ huge weapon across the jetpack on her shoulders—a breathless laugh one often lets out when they decide something they either didn't want to do, or were afraid to do, ended up being so darned _fun_ that words could do no justice. "That _Bloom_ you Link Summoned added _Vectored Blast_ to my hand with its effect. The moment I saw it, I knew I had to prove myself to you with it."

"I won't say you did." Blue Angel smirked back at her. "Not _yet_ , anyway," she added with a wink.

"Then I guess I'll just have to do better!" shouted Rei, tapping another holographic card with her free hand. **"Option Sierra-zero-six-one: Deploy! Sword Arts Quick-Play Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Mecha – Widow Anchor_** **!"**

 _Another Quick-Play Spell?!_ Blue Angel was beginning to wonder if—besides that _Raye_ she'd seen earlier—this Deck she was Dueling against was anything _but_ Spells at this point.

"When I activate _this_ card," Rei said to her, "I can target an opponent's monster and negate its effects for the rest of the turn! And since there's only one other monster on your field now that your _Holly Angel's_ gone … "

Blue Angel realized it too, and had already whirled upon _Lycorissica_ —but even then it was too late: a stream of data had spooled out from Rei's right wrist, its tip solidifying into a three-pointed mechanical claw. The black cable it was attached to now winched up into Rei's hand—before firing it right at the _Trickstar_.

Her aim was true, and the effect was immediate; _Lycorissica_ could only manage a muffled squeal of shock owing to the claw that covered her mouth. Several smaller cables now slithered out from compartments within the claw, writhing like worms along each prong; Blue Angel couldn't repress a shudder.

"My _Widow Anchor_ has an additional effect if I have three or more Spells in my Graveyard," Rei continued, "which lets me _take control_ of the monster whose effects I negated, until the end of the turn!"

She made a fist—ignoring Blue Angel's look of total shock; more green lightning sliced along the length of the cable, into the claw that trapped _Lycorissica_. Unable to scream, the monster could only shudder violently where she floated—before going eerily still a few moments later, slowly turning towards Blue Angel with the jerkiness of a puppet controlled by an amateur—

Lightning continued to snake from the _Widow Anchor_ —as well as _Lycorissica's_ sword—and it was this latter sight that made Blue Angel feel that she was in very deep trouble right about now.

 _This is going to_ hurt.

"Now—Battle Phase!" cried Rei. " _Trickstar Lycorissica_ —attack Blue Angel directly!"

 _Lycorissica_ swung its sparking sword right as Blue Angel veered towards the extreme edge of the Duel course. She narrowly avoided clipping a yellow pylon—but ensured that her monster's blade missed carving into her own neck by about a foot. There was no avoiding the energy that continued to snap and sizzle along said blade, however, and Blue Angel felt the shocks numbing her skin bit by bit as her Life Points tumbled to 2400.

Worse still, all her maneuver had done was put her in the path of Rei's _other_ monster. Even though it was slightly weaker than her own _Lycorissica_ , the immense gun-blade of _Hayate_ that Rei was currently hefting in her arms made her look no less intimidating for it. Blue Angel didn't want to think about what a weapon like that could do to a digital avatar, let alone cyberspace itself—but she knew she was about to find out firsthand.

" _Flash Sword Princess – Hayate_ —attack Blue Angel directly!" A targeting reticule unfolded along Rei's right eye as she gave the command. "Ready … _aim_ … **_FIRE!_** "

For the second time in as many minutes, the immediate vicinity quaked with thunder and lightning; the blast that _Hayate's_ gun had fired could have perforated a battleship with the ease of a needle through cloth. So gigantic was the oncoming wave of energy that Blue Angel knew she had no chance of avoiding even a glancing blow—all she could do was brace herself, hunkering down on her D-Board as she watched it roar towards her—

 _WHAM_.

The Charisma Duelist wasn't too sure of what happened next. There were only vague memories of her feet leaving the D-Board, the D-Board itself vanishing out of existence as its rider was catapulted out of the Duel course, passing between a pair of golden crystals so quickly they appeared blurred in her eyes—

—and then a strange tingling sensation, like every cell of her body was vibrating so violently it would all shake to pieces. A second later, she realized that was _exactly what was happening_ ; data was seeping into every pore in her digital body, enveloping her, silencing her cries of pain and surprise as the sea of information closed upon her—

Then the tingling stopped, as quickly as it had come—but by then, Blue Angel had already become one with LINK VRAINS itself …

* * *

 **A/N: The more I write this Duel, the more I feel like I'm slowly turning this fanfic into a crossover with** ** _Immortal Grand Prix_** **. And I'm not saying I'm patenting the idea of playing card games in powered armor while running on racetracks—but if the series after** ** _VRAINS_** **involves powered armor and racetracks …**

 **(** ** _ahem_** **) Anyway. Bottom line, the** ** _Sky Striker_** **archetype has been one of the most flat-out** ** _fun_** **Decks I've put to paper ever since the** ** _Shaddolls_** **rekindled my interest in the game way back during** ** _ARC-V_** **. I honestly can't wait for the whole thing to release.**

 **The next chapter** ** _should_** **close things out. We'll see if an epilogue is needed after. Thanks for reading! – K**


	3. III

III

—but only for a moment.

In that one moment, however, Blue Angel had lost all awareness of direction, sensation, and self. There was only the eternal, omnipresent noise of raw data, churning around her like whitewater, and a vague sense that what little body remained to her was caught in the thick of it, flailing in vain, trying to claw free—

Then—as if caught by some massive net—she'd been catapulted back the way she'd come, breaking the surface of the data stream with a deep breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Rivulets of digitized information trickled from her now-reformed avatar, D-Board and all, dripping soundlessly into the data current beneath them.

 _So that's what that feels like_. It was not a welcome sensation for the Charisma Duelist to feel, even as she patted her wings and dress to make sure they were still intact. She'd been turned into data once before; that would have been a much more permanent experience if not for Playmaker's defeat of Hanoi. But the safety systems of LINK VRAINS had ensured she'd respawned before the risk became too grave: she was out, she was whole, and—as far as she could tell—her digital self had suffered none of the systemic damage of _that_ ordeal.

"You okay?"

Only then did Blue Angel remember where she was, and why she was here. She shook her head, trying to clear it—before giving a thumbs-up at nowhere in particular. Then, she put a foot forward on her D-Board, sending it forward on the current, and back up to speed on the Duel course moments later.

Through the graphic of her LP gauge—now reading a vividly red **900** —she saw Rei some board-lengths ahead, still clad in the green-and-gold armor of her _Hayate_ monster. Blue Angel's _Lycorissica_ —still under Rei's control—floated slightly behind. Both girls were flying backwards, and substantially slower—perhaps to allow Blue Angel a moment to catch up, as there was still a great deal of concern etched in Rei's teal eyes.

"I'm fine!" Blue Angel called back to her—privately thinking she needed to thank Akira later for making the respawn process so thankfully brief. "Just a little dizzy—that's all!"

Rei didn't sound altogether convinced—but she shrugged anyway. "If you say so," she said, swiping up a card from her Deck Zone. " _Hayate's_ effect activates after it battles, and lets me send a _Flash Sword_ Spell from my Deck to the Graveyard!" Whatever card she had plucked from her Deck was now slipped into a different slot in her Duel Disk's ring.

"I now activate my _Multirole's_ second effect!" Rei went on, watching a number of small sections unfold on her gigantic mechanical hexagon, still floating behind her. "During the End Phase, I can Set _Flash Sword_ Spells from my Graveyard to my field—up to however many of them I activated this turn—but they'll be banished if they ever leave the field."

Blue Angel bit her lip as a single face-down card materialized before Rei, then faded to nothing. Since Speed Duels got rid of the second Main Phase of each turn, that meant Rei's Battle Phase went right into her End Phase—which would normally have meant no more salvos of those numerous _Flash Sword_ Spells until her next turn.

That _Multirole_ Spell, however, had just provided a workaround for that rule change; all that was missing to make this a Master Duel was Rei being able to use an additional pair of card zones on her field. The thought of Rei Setting four different cards via _Multirole_ , instead of the one she'd Set just now, was an ill one indeed.

But Blue Angel had reason to look forward to next turn—and more, as it happened. "During the End Phase," continued Rei, "my _Widow Anchor's_ effect concludes, and _Trickstar Lycorissica_ reverts back to your control."

She jerked her arm. The cable of _Widow Anchor_ , along with the claw attached to it, promptly retracted into the armored gauntlet covering her free hand, revealing a very red-in-the-face _Lycorissica_ who looked torn between embarrassment for what she had done to her owner—and anger at Rei for forcing her to do it.

Blue Angel, for her part, didn't feel nearly so angry—even if she hadn't expected to find her LP gauge inside the red zone so quickly. But it was—and she knew she had to be careful from here on out, lest Rei's incredible amount of Spells manage to outpace the damaging effects of her _Trickstars_ again.

She took another breath—in, then out—"Draw!"

In one fluid motion, she flicked her hand across her wrist, scooped up the card above it, then flipped it round to reveal—

She fought hard to conceal a smile. _I can win this turn!_

But first, the Charisma Duelist knew she had to ensure her path to victory was clear—and so: "First, I activate my _Light Stage's_ next effect!" she yelled. "Once per turn, I can target a Set card on my opponent's field, and prevent its activation until the End Phase!

"And," she added with a sly wink, "if you don't activate it _then_ —that card's automatically sent to your Graveyard!"

This additional facet of her _Light Stage_ was more debilitating than Blue Angel let on; she had seen enough of Rei's Dueling abilities by now that she didn't doubt the girl was beginning to realize what a card like this could do. Preventing cards from activating was more destructive to an opponent's strategy than simply sending them to the Graveyard—especially if said strategy relied on having a certain number of cards in the Graveyard, as many of Rei's _Flash Sword_ Spells seemed to imply.

But there was still a problem, she knew. _Since her_ Multirole _Sets cards from the Graveyard_ , she thought, _Rei might be trying to reuse that_ Widow Anchor _she used on my_ Lycorissica _. But she also sent three other cards to the Graveyard as well—two from that_ Vectored Blast _Spell, and a third with her_ Hayate _. She's already told me one of those cards was a_ Flash Sword _card, too—so she could've Set_ that _to her field just as easily. And I have no way of knowing if_ Vectored Blast _didn't send even more of them, either …_

She resisted the urge to bite her lip this time, staring at the card in her hand once more. It was all too likely that Blue Angel might have played her way into a trap—but the urge to show off, to show Rei what she herself could be capable of in the future, was too good to pass up.

"So," the Charisma Duelist finally said, after that brief moment of indecision, "I'll target the card you Set back on your field with your _Multirole_! _Then_ ," she added, "I'll activate the effect of the _Trickstar Reincarnation_ in my Graveyard!"

She saw Rei tilt her head, confused, checking her Duel Disk for whatever that card might be—before the faint spark of realization shone across her pale face. No doubt she'd discovered, Blue Angel thought, that this _Reincarnation_ was a card her _Vectored Blast_ had sent directly from her Deck to her own Graveyard.

And even though it wasn't as destructive as it would have been otherwise, its second effect would serve her well, because: "By banishing _Reincarnation_ from my Graveyard, I can target a _Trickstar_ in my Graveyard, and revive it on my field! So I'll target the _other_ card your _Vectored Blast_ sent to my Graveyard, and Special Summon it in Defense Position!"

She threw out a hand. "Go! _Trickstar Shakunage_!" Another portal exploded from behind and to her right, revealing a teenaged girl bedecked in various shades of pink and purple, crossing her arms—and the bell-tipped wand she carried—to her breast in a defensive position (Level 4: ATK 1400/ _DEF 1900_ ).

"Next, I'll Normal Summon my _Candina_ once more!" Out that monster came, now, in a familiar flash of blue light and golden-brown frills (Level 4: _ATK 1800_ /DEF 400). "Then, because _Candina_ was Normal Summoned, I activate its effect, and add another _Trickstar_ card from my Deck to my hand!"

As she did so, Blue Angel put on an extra burst of speed from her D-Board, trying to close the gap between her and Rei. She was close enough now to see the look of trepidation on the girl's face—the realization that the Charisma Duelist now had enough monsters to—

"I Set my _Shakunage_ and my _Lycorissica_ in the Link Markers!" screamed the Charisma Duelist, watching both monsters in question shoot forward like arrows from a bow, into the portal that had surged into life before her—

 **"** **Arrowheads confirmed—** ** _Link Summon!_** **Appear! Link-2,** ** _Trickstar Holly Angel_** **!"**

For the second time this Duel, her ace monster swept onto the field in a flash of flowing blue (ATK 2000/ **LINK–2, BL-BR** ), twirling and twisting her thorny flail round her arm in a graceful dance.

 _Holly Angel_ , however, was only Blue Angel's ace monster because it was the one she used most often to win her Duels. That didn't mean she was automatically the _strongest_ monster she possessed—Blue Angel had a few monsters in her Extra Deck that could put the Link Monster on her field to shame; indeed, there was one she hadn't had the chance to use before. Perhaps here, in this place, was the time to finally show it off.

And so, as she looked past Rei at the circuit ahead—more accurately, the incoming hairpin turn for which she'd have only _seconds_ to navigate—Blue Angel acted.

"Now," she shouted, "it's time I introduced someone _new_ to the stage—a rising star that's about to make her world debut! To bring her out, the Summoning conditions must be at least two Fairy monsters—and so I'll use my _Candina_ and my _Holly Angel_ to Set the Link Markers _again_!"

Rei—who had also been bracing herself to make the incoming turn—wobbled on her D-Board as she whirled around. "What?! You're using _Holly Angel_ as Link Material?!"

The girl's exclamation only made Blue Angel smile even wider. "That's right—if a Link Monster's Link Rating is two or greater, it can be used for that many Link Materials in a Summon!"

"So don't blink, Rei!" Blue Angel stamped down her back foot hard, causing her D-Board to decelerate rapidly, and both her monsters to rocket forward. "I'm about to show you what Charisma Duelists can _really_ do!"

Both her monsters had no time to make the turn—nor had they any intention of doing so in the first place; _Candina_ and _Holly Angel_ dived into the data stream like freshly fired torpedoes, leaving Blue Angel to maneuver her D-Board across the tightly winding current—

 **"** **Arrowheads confirmed!"** she chanted. **"Soar, my newest circuit of charm and grace!"**

—data streaked from Rei's wings and Blue Angel's D-Board as both girls steered into the hairpin, drifting expertly along the curve as if riding a wave—Blue Angel could see the next straightaway ahead, beyond the green armor of _Hayate_ that encased her opponent—

 **"** **Circuit combine—LINK SUMMON!"**

—then, as quickly as she'd made the turn, she was through—and at the moment her D-Board leveled out for the greatest burst of speed Blue Angel had summoned yet, the monster she'd also Summoned now exploded from the hairpin turn, shattering the data current beneath with a burst of pink light—

 **"** **Appear!"** cried Blue Angel. **"Link-** ** _3_** **:** ** _Trickstar Foxywitch_** **!"**

As raw data instantly converged upon the destruction, sealing it up in seconds so that the current could flow once more, the rosy energy that had broken the circuit now solidified into her newest _Trickstar_ : a blonde-haired teenager with violet spikes flowing from her pink dress to match the ones that tipped the wand in her hand. Six wings carried her aloft, two trails of pure white cloth streamed from behind her, and golden eyes shone brightly with elated determination (ATK 2200/ **LINK–3, L-T-R** ).

Shining, too, were Blue Angel's own eyes. This was the first time she'd ever seen the full form of _Foxywitch_ in LINK VRAINS, after all—and she was just as beautiful as she'd imagined when SOLTech had first shown her the artwork for its digital card. Having an in with the company in Akira had its perks; like Rei, Blue Angel had also struck a friendship with one of its card artists, and every so often, she would commission this artist for new _Trickstars_ if ever the thought struck her. That artist had given it their all with _Foxywitch_ , she knew—and it showed.

Rei, meanwhile, was goggling at the new arrival on her field with amazement. "She's beautiful … " the girl could only say, her teal eyes nearly bugging out of their sockets.

This earned a giggle from Blue Angel. "Don't say that _too_ quickly, now!" the Charisma Duelist said, wagging her finger. "Because _Foxywitch's_ effect activates the moment she's Special Summoned—and lets me inflict 200 damage to you for every card on your field!"

 _Foxywitch_ brandished her wand; Blue Angel saw its purple spikes begin to brim with energy, one by one for each card Rei controlled—one for her _Hayate_ , another for her _Multirole_ , two more for each card she'd Set—and with each glowing spike, the pink heart they framed glowed brighter and brighter.

Then, as if she was serving for match point in tennis, _Foxywitch_ flicked out with her wand, hurling an image of that heart straight for Rei. The projectile caught Rei full in the face, sending her into a tailspin—which forced the girl to kick out with the thrusters on her armored feet to avoid going out-of-bounds and despawning.

There was no avoiding the concentrated beams of aurorae from Blue Angel's _Light Stage_ , however; by the time those had faded away, Rei's LP gauge had finished plummeting to 1800—and the Charisma Duelist was already beginning the next phase of her final strategy.

"Since every monster I control is a _Trickstar_ monster," she said, "I can Special Summon _Trickstar Calobane_ from my hand through her own effect! C'mon out!"

Another portal surged into being from behind _Foxywitch_ ; from this leapt a blur of white, green, and golden energy. That blur now slowed enough to reveal a particularly festive-looking girl (Level 5: _ATK 2000_ /DEF 1000) whose floor-length silver hair, tossing in the air alongside the golden staff she twirled in her hand, clashed magnificently with the white cloud of cloth that bloomed from her tutu.

"And I'm still not done!" Blue Angel smirked at Rei; with a dash of her fingers, she pulled up the card she'd added with _Candina's_ effect. "I play the Equip Spell: _Trickstar Magicorolla_!"

She twirled on her D-Board—a move she'd spent some time attempting to perfect—raising all ten fingers to the sky as she did so. From where her fingers traced the air, blue flowers and leaves, lined with many stars and tiny pearls, bloomed out of nowhere, weaving themselves into the sort of crown that any little girl who'd spent their formative years twisting daisies into tiaras must have dreamed of wearing.

"When I activate this card," said Blue Angel, finishing her crown—and her routine—with a flourish and a wink, "I can target a _Trickstar_ monster in my Graveyard, and Special Summon it! So I'll bring back the only monster who could ever wear a crown this beautiful—my _Trickstar Holly Angel_!"

She tossed her impromptu headpiece into the air with a mighty heave. Another six-sided portal flowered behind her just then; _Holly Angel_ , none the worse for wear, soared out from inside as if from a springboard, catching the floral crown with a single hand, before fixing it atop her blonde hair before coming to hover directly in front of Blue Angel (ATK 2000/ **LINK–2, BL-BR** ).

"You put on a good show with your Deck, Rei," she admitted. "I wish I was able to see more of what you could do. But every show has to have a finale—and I'm about to make it happen with _this_!"

She tapped the card she'd drawn to begin her turn. "I activate the Quick-Play Spell: _Trickstar Bouquet_!" howled the Charisma Duelist. "Once per turn, this card lets me target two monsters—a _Trickstar_ on my field, and another monster on _any_ field—and _then_ , by returning that _Trickstar_ to my hand, that other monster gains ATK equal to my returned _Trickstar's_ original ATK, until the end of the turn!"

Blue Angel clapped her hands together; as if by magic, a bunch of flowers had appeared inside, and a wave of her hands now scattered them in her wake among the _Trickstars_ on her field. "So I'll target my _Trickstar Calobane_ ," she said, watching the flowers envelop the monster in question, "and then my _Trickstar Foxywitch_ to have it gain _Calobane's_ ATK!"

The flowers around _Calobane_ scattered with a wave of _Foxywitch's_ wand—revealing neither hide nor silver hair of the monster that had been there. But the flowers still remained, swirling around the wand and blooming with vivid pink energy. This energy now receded into the heart at the wand's tip, causing it to swell bigger than ever before as its wielder's ATK ballooned to **_4200_** —

"Battle Phase!" cried Blue Angel. " _Trickstar Holly Angel_ , attack _Flash Sword Princess – Hayate_!" The thorny flail in her ace monster's hand now lashed out at Rei, still clad in _Hayate's_ armor.

The Charisma Duelist was well aware that a single blow from _Foxywitch_ could have finished the Duel. But the Spells Rei had used on her already made Blue Angel wary of what more of them could do—especially as she suspected they would have additional effects to activate, since more than three of them were in her Graveyard already. Better to bait them out with _Holly Angel_ , she'd therefore decided, have _Calobane_ mop up whatever might be left behind—and _then_ she could have _Foxywitch_ attack for the win.

But as _Holly Angel's_ whip whacked Rei right in her chest—causing _Hayate's_ armor to shatter from the impact, and its wearer's LP to drop to 1300—nothing came. Even as the aurorae of _Light Stage_ shone brightly yet again, bestowing its searing kiss upon Rei to bring her Life Points down to 1100—nothing came.

And yet—even as the last of _Hayate_ disintegrated, even as Blue Angel felt her heart leap into her mouth as an unarmored, defenseless Rei began to plummet into the data stream below at breakneck speed—she could have sworn the girl was _smiling_ —

 **"** **Emergency eject!"** shrieked the girl just then. " _Flash Sword Princess – Raye's_ effect! If a _Flash Sword Princess_ I controlled leaves the field for any reason—whether by a card effect or by battle—while _Raye_ is in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon _Raye_ back to my field!"

Blue Angel's mouth fell open—not simply from the revelation of what Rei's sole Main Deck monster so far was capable of, but by the visual effects that came with it: the armor Rei had summoned on her body ever since the first Spell she'd played this Duel was streaming along her clothes again. Before she could blink, that armor had reformed onto Rei—white wings and all—just in time for her to skim mere inches from the data stream she was surfing, before peeling away and high into the air (Level 4: ATK 1500/ _DEF 1500_ ).

"Nice recovery!" Blue Angel said approvingly, despite her despondence at failing to finish this Duel in the single stroke she'd been hoping for. But even the fact that _Raye_ had been revived in _Defense_ Position this time, thereby protecting Rei's Life Points from further battle, was no small loss—the Charisma Duelist still had more than one monster with which to attack.

Because: " _Trickstar Magicorolla's_ second effect!" she yelled. "If the equipped monster inflicts damage to my opponent for any reason, I can Special Summon another _Trickstar_ monster from my hand—like the _Calobane_ I returned with _Bouquet's_ effect!"

 _Holly Angel_ jerked its flail backwards, whirling it above her head like a lasso until it sparked with energy. That energy now condensed into yet another portal, from which _Calobane's_ silver hair and golden staff preceded the rest of her (Level 5: _ATK 2000_ /DEF 1000).

"Time for an encore performance, _Calobane_!" winked Blue Angel. "Attack _Flash Sword Princess – Raye_!"

 _Calobane_ lunged forward, raising its staff high to give Rei a whack she wouldn't be forgetting any time soon—

But Rei was still smiling; an instant later, Blue Angel knew why. **"Link Flight Control—crisis protocol!"** cried the girl. " _Raye's_ second effect lets me Release her to Special Summon a _Flash Sword Princess_ Link Monster from my Extra Deck!"

Blue Angel felt her eyes widen. _Another_ Princess _? And she's Summoning it during my turn, too?!_

 **"** **Emergency broadcast: Code** ** _Blue_** **! Clear for insertion, go for launch! Deploy!"**

Even as Rei spoke, data from _Multirole_ was beginning to stream over her body again. There was much more of it this time, Blue Angel thought; perhaps she was attempting to Summon a stronger _Princess_ than before, in much the same way as she had Link Summoned _Hayate_. But that couldn't be as powerful as she was making it sound in her head; surely such an effect would be much more balanced than to simply have Rei Release a single monster—

 **"** **Special Sword Arts, Defense Mode: X-ray-zero-zero-** ** _two_** **!"** shrieked Rei. **"Callsign:** ** _Flash Sword Princess – Shizuku_** **!"**

Again, clouds of data exploded from Rei—but the monster they revealed was considerably bulkier: heavy blue plates of armor, each one the size and approximate shape of a tower shield, had attached themselves via thick struts to arms and legs covered in equally blue armor. Giant blue prongs now materialized either side of Rei's neck, and a headset on top of her hair, completing the ensemble, as the girl—now _Shizuku_ —rolled round in midair to face Blue Angel in a battle stance (ATK 1500/ **LINK–1, TR** ).

 _A top-diagonal Link Marker?!_ Blue Angel was pleasantly surprised; this was only one of a rare few Link Monsters she'd seen with such markers defining them. Unfortunately, it wouldn't help much; because _Foxywitch_ had been Summoned in her own right Extra Monster Zone, Rei had had no choice but to Summon _Shizuku_ in _her_ right Extra Monster Zone—meaning _Shizuku's_ Marker was pointing at nothing.

Worse still, its ATK wasn't enough to best either of her _Trickstar_ monsters; furthermore, because the monsters on Rei's field had changed, a replay had occurred; _Calobane's_ attack had essentially never happened.

Which meant: " _Trickstar Calobane!_ Attack _Flash Sword Princess – Shizuku_!" Blue Angel yelled—and her monster obliged. _Calobane's_ golden staff began to shine blindingly, swinging to and fro to ring the bells dangling from its crook, creating an intense symphony of light and sound that—

 _—_ _wait—_

 _Rei was still smiling_.

" _Shizuku's_ effect!" smirked the girl, raising her armored gauntlets high: one of them was an overlarge glove, pulsing with sapphire energy; the other was mounted with a blaster and a similarly glowing bayonet. "For each Spell in my Graveyard, your opponent's monsters lose 100 ATK and DEF!"

"No!" But even as the word left her mouth, Blue Angel knew she was too late—she knew how many Spells were in Rei's Graveyard by now—the Field Spell _Area Zero_ , _Vectored Blast_ , and all three cards that had been sent to the Graveyard thanks to the latter card as well as _Hayate_ —and she knew her amateur mistake had just cost her.

At least it was enough that Rei wouldn't come out of this unscathed, either, and it was this thought that assuaged Blue Angel even as she watched _Foxywitch's_ ATK drop to a still-imposing 3700, and _Holly Angel's_ to 1500. _Shizuku's_ huge hand, meanwhile, bloomed with azure light, disrupting _Calobane's_ attack—now also a mere 1500 points strong—with a simple, sweeping wave. The collection of light and sound engulfed both monsters, hopelessly out of control—

 **"** **Option Sierra-zero-one-five: Deploy!"** Rei had to scream over the noise in order to be heard. **"Sword Arts Quick-Play Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Mecha – Eagle Booster_** **!"**

The Charisma Duelist's mind skidded to a halt as some of the enormous panels on _Shizuku's_ armor rearranged themselves. "By activating this card when I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones," she heard Rei shout, "I can target a monster on the field to make it immune to card effects for the rest of the turn—and _then_ , if I have at least three Spells in my Graveyard, I can make that monster indestructible by battle as well!"

Blue Angel had no time to react; she knew this _Eagle Booster_ Rei had activated was not the one she'd Set during her End Phase with _Multirole's_ effect—in other words, _not_ the one _Light Stage_ prevented from activating—but rather the one she'd Set during her _Main_ Phase, meaning it wouldn't be banished when it left the field. Which meant—

She whirled on her _Calobane_ —but Rei had already raised the blasters on _Shizuku's_ other hand. The barrels fired a single shot—and that single shot was all it took to vaporize _Calobane_ into digital shrapnel before the monster could blink. Some of that shrapnel was blown back into Blue Angel's face thanks to _Shizuku's_ increased slipstream, causing the Charisma Duelist to grimace as her LP gauge slipped down to 800.

The instance of discomfort was short-lived, however. "I still have one more monster to battle with!" Blue Angel reminded Rei. "You can protect your _Shizuku_ all you want with your _Eagle Booster_ , Rei—all the immunity to card effects and destruction by battle won't help against the damage you're about to take from my last attack!"

Rei's smile was wider than ever. "Who said I was targeting _Shizuku_?" she smirked.

 _Huh?!_ Blue Angel felt her brow furrow in confusion—before feeling both her jaw and her heart plummet well past her D-Board as reason caught up with her. There was only one other monster on whom Rei could have used _Eagle Booster's_ effect … an effect, she now realized, that targeted a monster on the field— _any_ field.

By the time she'd whirled around on that one other monster, it was too late: _Foxywitch's_ six wings were beating more rapidly than ever, shining so brightly as to dim the digital sun—but her ATK had dwindled down to its original 2200 in the process. All the strength Blue Angel had poured into her monster via _Trickstar Bouquet_ had fizzled out of existence—along with her chances of winning this turn.

She clenched her fist, biting back a curse and managing _just barely_ to turn it into an annoyed sigh. " _Trickstar Foxywitch_ ," she ordered, "teach that _Shizuku_ not to rain on someone's parade— _attack!_ "

 _Foxywitch_ looked only too happy to obey; the monster launched forward with a battle cry that suggested she had some serious frustration to work out on the Duelist who'd weakened her so. She swung her wand; dim though it was from the lack of _Bouquet's_ additional power, there was still enough strength behind the blow to shatter Rei's headset—raising a sizable lump on her head in the process, and causing _Shizuku_ to crumble into its residual data as quickly as it had been formed.

Only the pair of wings Rei had sprouted before, at the start of the Duel, saved her from sinking through the data currents again, instead carrying her slightly behind Blue Angel. This was notable because the two Duelists were currently flying above one of the mish-mashed islands of concrete and steel that linked parts of the Duel course together; if Rei had sunk through the current and into empty space, she might have had additional time to recover before respawning. That was _not_ so guaranteed, however, if she fell onto one of those islands instead; as Blue Angel knew, respawning restored both the Duelist _and_ whatever sensations they'd felt before despawning—like being swatted by a fist the size of a city block, as would likely be felt after an impact such as that would have caused.

Blue Angel watched this unfold with a smile of mixed relief and catharsis: the former at watching Rei recover once again thanks to the tinkering she'd done to her avatar; the latter at watching the girl's LP tumbling to 400—then to a measly **_200_** as her _Light Stage's_ effect triggered yet again. While it still irked her to no small degree that she hadn't been able to win this turn, the Charisma Duelist couldn't help but feel impressed at how Rei was using the cards in her Deck; that _Eagle Booster_ had been a particular stroke of genius.

Indeed, Blue Angel was beginning to wonder if Rei wasn't actually performing as the better Duelist tonight. Yes, she might be beating Rei in terms of LP and field advantage—but Rei had displayed an inventiveness she'd never before seen in any Duels she'd streamed to her fans. What was more, Blue Angel didn't need hindsight to tell her she'd made a string of misplays that could otherwise have sealed her victory by now: for instance, attacking with her _Foxywitch_ _before_ her _Calobane_ would have been the better choice this turn. _Eagle Booster_ wouldn't have saved _Shizuku_ from destruction then—and if _Calobane_ had held off its attack since _Magicorolla's_ effect had brought it back out, _she_ would have been free to make the finishing blow.

But there was nothing she could do about it now, she thought with a shrug—nothing but wait and see what Rei would do next.

"During the End Phase," she therefore said, " _Light Stage's_ effect concludes—meaning you can either activate that other Set card of yours, or send it to the Graveyard." _Where it'll be banished thanks to your_ Multirole _, no matter what you do_ , she added in her head, smirking— _that's one Spell that won't be bothering me for a while_.

"You'd … better _believe_ I'll activate it!" While Blue Angel had been musing about what could have been, Rei had spent a large fraction of that time trying to get her breath back after _Foxywitch's_ attack. **"Option … Sierra-zero-one-eight … Deploy! Sword Arts … Quick-Play Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Mecha – Hornet Bit_** **!"**

So this was a new Spell, Blue Angel thought, biting her lip—one that _Hayate_ or _Vectored Blast_ must have sent from her Deck to the Graveyard.

"If I control no monsters in my Main Monster Zones," Rei continued, her voice beginning to regain its volume, "I can Special Summon a _Flash Sword Princess Token_ to my field that can't be Released! Normally, its ATK and DEF are both zero—but if I activate _Hornet Bit_ when I have 3 or more Spells in my Graveyard," she added, "I can make them _1500_ instead!"

Something splashed under Blue Angel's D-Board at that point—her first thought was of a shoal of fish, disturbed by her D-Board; but that was ridiculous, they were surfing on data, not actual water—

One moment later, she'd nearly fallen off her D-Board as that something—or rather, a whole host of them—zipped from underneath her, heading towards Rei: a handful of white-and-gold rockets, so small that they might have been toys, each one orbiting their controller like the electrons of an atom. Now those rockets were beginning to emit multicolored lights onto Rei from the golden orbs on their noses; by the time Blue Angel knew what they were doing, Rei's ubiquitous armor had materialized on her body yet again (Level 1: _ATK 0 »_ _ **1500**_ /DEF 0 » **1500** ).

 _No guesses on what she'll be using that_ Token _for_ , she thought, swallowing.

"Due to my _Multirole_ , _Hornet Bit_ is banished after it leaves the field," Rei said—though without sounding the least bit crestfallen. It wasn't hard to guess why; Blue Angel had no doubt that despite clinging to a mere sliver of Life Points, the fact she'd even survived her assault this turn was something worth boasting about—at least, if she'd ever thought Rei was the kind of person to boast about anything in the first place.

"Then I end my turn," she responded. _Okay_ , the Charisma Duelist said to herself— _time to see what she does next_.

On that end, Rei wasted no time. "Draw!" she called out, flicking another card into her hand—before promptly breaking into a wide grin. "Okay, Blue Angel—you've showed me what you can do. Now it's time I do the same! I'm going to treat my _Token_ as a Link Material—then use it to Summon the _biggest monster I've got!_ "

Blue Angel drew back. _Like I said … no guesses_.

 **"** **Link Flight Control: Code** ** _Red_** **!"** Rei screamed to the heavens. **"Clear for insertion, go for launch!** ** _Arrowheads confirmed_** **!"**

The rockets of _Hornet Bit_ that continued to flank her now broke formation—for a very good reason: the data that had clustered around Rei to form the _Token's_ shell around her was now changing once again. But where it had shrunk around her to form _Hayate_ , and expanded to create _Shizuku_ , this time it was streamlining into many contrails of flame and superhot gas—the fires were consuming Rei's avatar inch by inch, bit by bit—

"The Summoning conditions are one non-FIRE _Flash Sword Princess_ monster!" spoke the human pyre in a screech that matched the roar of the blaze consuming her. "I Set my DARK-Attribute _Token_ in the Link Markers!"

At that last word, the flames engulfed Rei completely; the many streams of fire and smoke now swelled into a bright plume of superheated plasma. Tongues of fire unfolded in every direction, like a phoenix spreading its wings—

 **"** **LINK SUMMON!"** bellowed the girl. **"Deploy Sword Arts,** ** _Attack_** **Mode: X-ray-zero-zero-** ** _three_** **! Callsign:** ** _Flash Sword Princess – Kagari_** **!"**

 _WHOOM_.

A gust of wind from nowhere dispelled the flames—and Blue Angel gasped at the monster that had been birthed within: wreathed in whips of scarlet fire, Rei's newest suit of armor looked tailor-made to mow down entire armies (ATK 1500/ **LINK–1, TL** ). Eight blades curled behind her back like wings, twin thrusters on her feet belched fire hot enough to melt steel, and the sword in her hands sang with many voices of metal, wind and flame, entwined in a sinister melody that even Blue Angel's _Trickstars_ would be hard-pressed to duplicate.

She felt a chill.

" _Kagari's_ effect activates whenever it's Special Summoned," Rei yelled out, "and lets me target a _Flash Sword_ Spell in my Graveyard to add back to my hand!" She swiped her free hand over her Duel Disk, plucking out a card as she did so. "I'll target, return—and then _reactivate_ my Field Spell: _Area Zero_! **Reengage tactical overlay!** "

The horns that now adorned her head thanks to _Kagari_ now glowed with red light, generating the heads-up display Blue Angel had seen once before. "Now for _Kagari's_ second effect!" continued Rei. "For every Spell in my Graveyard, it gains 100 ATK!"

Five of the eight blades lining Rei's back—one for each Spell still in her Graveyard, Blue Angel knew—hissed with fire, catapulting _Kagari's_ ATK up to 2000.

But Rei wasn't done. **"** ** _Kagari_** **calling Flight Control—requesting heavy support option Sierra-one-three-zero! Deploy!"** she shouted. **"Sword Arts Equip Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Mechanism – Hercule Base_** **!"**

As the two Duelists rounded another curve, heading towards the same floating landmass on which they'd started their Duel—a shadow fell over Blue Angel. For a moment she wondered if maybe they passed under another of the outlying islands of LINK VRAINS—but that was not the case; even as she raised a hand skyward to squint at the object above, she knew at once it was too regularly shaped—too angular—too _big_ … and moving too _fast_.

Then that object swooped down at speeds no terrestrial aircraft could have managed, leaving nothing behind but the roar of its massive engines whole seconds after its fly-by. Blue Angel caught only a brief glimpse of a multi-finned and -winged jet fighter that dwarfed Akira's apartment with its sheer size, bristling with weapons the size of power lines—before the shock of a sonic boom left her deaf as a post, causing her to wobble drunkenly on her D-Board.

"I can activate _Hercule Base_ when there aren't any monsters in my Main Monster Zones," said Rei, "and equip it to a _Flash Sword Princess_ monster I control. It won't let me attack directly—but it _will_ let me attack twice this turn!"

Blue Angel, still digging into her ears to restore her hearing, did a double take—though more out of confusion than surprise. _Kagari_ , while it was indeed the strongest monster Rei had yet Summoned this Duel, was still the exact same strength as her _Holly Angel_ —and only a whisper shy of challenging her _Foxywitch_. What good was it to attack twice when your only targets were _stronger_ monsters?!

"Next, I activate _Area Zero's_ second effect!" Rei told her. "I can target a card on my field, then excavate three cards from my Deck—plus, if one of them is a _Flash Sword_ Spell, I can add it to my hand, then put the rest back in my Deck before I destroy that target! So I'll target my _Hercule Base_!"

Three cards appeared before her fingers—which only made Rei smile even wider. She tapped the middle card, causing it to disintegrate—then reform just as quickly among the current cards in her hand. "That's another Spell in my Graveyard," she smirked, "and another 100 ATK for _Kagari_!"

Sure enough, a sixth blade had flared to life behind her back, sizzling with enough heat that Blue Angel swore she could feel it on her face. There was no sign of _Hercule Base_ , meanwhile; it had disappeared from view so quickly that Blue Angel had no time to see what sort of visual effects its destruction would have created.

"Next up, I'll activate my _Multirole_ once more!" said Rei, watching Kagari's ATK creep upward to 2100. "I can target and destroy a card on my field to prevent you from activating any cards or effects whenever I play a _Flash Sword_ Spell! I'll target my _Area Zero_ again!"

 _Here we go_ , thought Blue Angel as _Multirole_ flared with ice-blue light—enough of it that the Charisma Duelist was blinded momentarily, and so missed Rei getting rid of the HUD in front of her face that had represented her Field Spell.

" _Area Zero's_ effect lets me Special Summon a _Flash Sword Princess_ monster from my Main Deck if I want to," said Rei, "but there's two reasons why I _don't_ right now! First—that _Raye_ in my Graveyard is the only monster I need!"

Blue Angel's heart nearly stopped. _Did I just hear that right?!_ Had Rei been battling her this whole time with a Deck that only had a single Monster Card in it—not counting all those suits of armor she'd Link Summoned?!

 _All those Spells … yet only one monster … what kind of_ madwoman _have I been Dueling tonight?!_

"The second reason," Rei continued, now grinning fit to burst at Kagari's ATK gauge—now reading **_2200_** —"is _this_! **X-ray-zero-zero-three—Special Option Activate! Sword Arts Spell:** ** _Flash Sword Maneuver – Afterburner_** **!"**

Without warning, all nine blades of _Kagari_ —the eight on Rei's back, the ninth in her hand, and both sets of thrusters on her feet as well—erupted in gouts of fire so intense that a stunned Blue Angel thought the monster had exploded. But a second burst of fire, rising upward from the inferno, told her that wasn't the case: _Kagari_ —and Rei with it—was soaring into the air at speeds no human would ever be able to survive in real life. Onward and upward she climbed, like a rocket bound for space, until she was lost to sight but for a shrinking point of orange light—but even as she watched, that light was beginning to glow brighter … bigger … _closer_ …

"If I activate this card," Blue Angel heard Rei speak, through the voice app in her Duel Disk, "I can target a monster on the field and destroy it! Then—since I have at least three Spells in my Graveyard, I can destroy a Spell or a Trap on the field as well!"

For a full second, Blue Angel did not breathe: she'd just realized what Rei's strategy had been this turn—and what this meant for her.

"And the best part?" she heard Rei crow. " _Multirole's_ effect makes sure there's _nothing_ you can do about it! So I'll target your _Foxywitch_ —and then destroy your _Magicorolla_! Which means this Duel is _over!_ "

Yes, Blue Angel knew now: her Equip Spell _Magicorolla_ had a weak spot; if it left the field, the monster it was equipped to was destroyed. That one card Rei used, therefore, would not simply get rid of two cards on her field, but _three_ : her _Foxywitch_ , her _Magicorolla_ , and the _Holly Angel_ that the latter card had brought back. It would all but clear her entire field—and leave _Kagari_ to attack for the win, with nothing to stand in its way, and no way for Blue Angel to respond.

 _Rei's right_ , she thought, watching _Kagari_ rocket downwards with the speed of a fallen angel. _This Duel is over …_

* * *

High above Den City, on the top floor of an apartment building being bathed in the final rays of the day's setting sun, Zaizen Aoi—still perched on her bedspread, completely motionless even as her virtual self raced and veered through a remote sector of LINK VRAINS—awaited the final attack of the Duel.

And smiled.

 _…_ _except._

* * *

 _WHAM._

 _Kagari_ plowed into _Foxywitch_ with the punch of a small bomb, tackling the winged girl at breakneck speeds that send both monsters straight through the Duel course. The force of the impact disintegrated the _Magicorolla_ atop _Holly Angel's_ head—and _Holly Angel_ herself not long after; the fragments of data they left behind remained for only an instant before they were caught by the winds around Blue Angel, swallowed by the current beneath her, or consumed by the fire below her.

That fire now roared upwards; _Kagari_ now soared into the air a second time, aiming for another attack run—straight for Blue Angel. Of _Foxywitch_ there was no sign; so complete was its destruction at Rei's hands that there was hardly even bits of data left behind.

Which meant—" _Trickstar Foxywitch's_ second effect!" shrieked Blue Angel. "If it's destroyed by battle or by card effect, I can Special Summon a Link-2 or lower _Trickstar_ monster from my Extra Deck! So I'll Special Summon my Link-2 _Trickstar Sweet Devil_!"

High above, she saw a portal flare directly behind Rei. She was close enough—and there was just enough of _Kagari_ that Blue Angel's view wasn't terribly obstructed—to see a winged monster that might have been _Holly Angel's_ evil twin: raven-haired, with ebony gloves that held a gold-spiked staff, white stockings that ended just below an equally black skirt, and a pair of charcoal-gray cat tails that flicked behind her (ATK 2000/ **LINK–2, L-R** ).

"Huh?!" Blue Angel saw Rei, still inside _Kagari_ , whirl around at the unexpected arrival even before her exclamation came through the comlink in her Duel Disk—and felt her smirk grow even wider.

"Then," said the Charisma Duelist, "I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent for every card they control!"

"Wha—?!"

But Rei got no further; a giggling _Sweet Devil_ had raised its staff high—and brought it down right on top of Rei's horned headset with a tremendous _SMACK_. The force of the impact shattered _Kagari_ as if it was nothing more than a fragile china figurine, exploding into a million fiery shards of data.

And leaving Rei—her Life Points now plunged fully to zero—to plummet through empty space, without any visible means of support.

Blue Angel allowed herself no time to savor her victory—that would come later. She kicked her D-Board into high gear, rocketing upwards, leveling out—then arcing downwards into an expertly controlled dive that brought her parallel with Rei.

"Hold on!" She didn't stop to hear if Rei was conscious enough to hear; the Charisma Duelist hooked the girl's frame with an arm, bringing her onto her own D-Board—into her embrace—

"Gotcha!"

One lunge with her back foot upon the craft, and the D-Board leveled out once more, skimming the data currents with inches to spare. Only then did Blue Angel expel the massive breath she'd been holding ever since _Foxywitch's_ effect had triggered.

She'd won the Duel—by the skin of her teeth, yes, but she'd _won_.

A relieved laugh, fueled by the adrenaline that had been building up inside her for the past four turns, escaped her lips as she accelerated her D-Board, exiting the Duel course and heading for the nearest island.

She was distracted just then; a faint stirring in her arms had registered. "You all right?" Blue Angel called out, flashing Rei a winning smile—

—before promptly feeling that smile go slack at the expression on Rei's face.

It wasn't disappointment—not even close. Nor was it the transitory sort of anger that came after losing a Duel where very little, if anything, was on the line. A pink blush had bloomed over Rei's cheeks; she was staring up at the Charisma Duelist with a look in her eye that could only be called star-struck—

—at least, until some part of her finally noticed that Blue Angel was looking back; the pink in her cheeks now boiled crimson.

"You're … holding me … " she could only squeak.

For some reason, Blue Angel thought this was very funny—and for the rest of the journey towards that distant, jumbled island of iron and cement, Rei wore an expression of deep befuddlement as to why the Charisma Duelist was giggling like a maniac all the way back.

* * *

 **A/N: Only one more chapter to go after this, to tie things up. I'm not sure when it'll be out; I might've found a promising place to live now, so it may be after I've had time to settle in.**

 **That's about it for this update; things have been that quiet in my life. Rate and review at your leisure, and thanks for reading! – K**


	4. IV

IV

By the time Blue Angel had forced out the last few giggles, they'd returned to the island on which they'd started their Duel, and presently rested by the edge, watching the faraway hub of LINK VRAINS and its satellite servers gleam in the distance like the rising moon and so many stars.

Neither girl said anything for a long while; the Charisma Duelist was still brimming with adrenaline, and so needed a chance to catch her breath after her victory—to say nothing of the daredevil stunt she'd pulled to keep Rei from plummeting through endless cyberspace. While she knew the safety systems within the realm would have kept her real body undamaged, past experience was still in sharp focus for her.

Rei, if anything, was even more silent than usual. Blue Angel could guess why; having the kind of self-esteem that she did, unexpected depths to both her skill as a Duelist and her attitude as a person—yet still losing anyway—must have been a big blow to absorb. She hadn't even opened her mouth ever since the Charisma Duelist had caught her, and thus noticed Rei's furious blush at being cradled in the hands of one of her idols. Blue Angel, sensing Rei did indeed want to talk about something, decided to wait patiently until Rei felt comfortable enough to speak her mind—at any rate, there were a few things Blue Angel wanted to ask her as well, when the time came.

She didn't have to wait long; a faint beeping noise had issued from Rei's Duel Disk just then. The girl sighed.

" … My passcode's about to expire." Blue Angel was just close enough to hear the whisper. "I don't have much time—five, ten minutes … if that. I know I didn't beat you, Blue Angel—but … thanks anyway. For making this nobody feel like … like a _somebody_."

Rei tilted her head upward, her mouth creased in a smile—but it was a halfhearted one, and one that someone like Blue Angel knew masked something else completely.

"Are you all right?" she ventured to say after a few long moments.

Rei nodded—but the Charisma Duelist didn't feel too convinced. "You sure?"

" … I'll be fine," the girl told her. Something told Blue Angel it would be folly to ask further. "At least it's not a school night; I'll be out cold for a while … once I'm logged out. That Duel took a … a lot out of me."

And as if to prove her point, Rei let fly with a yawn so massive that she plopped spread-eagled onto the ground, eliciting a few stray titters from Blue Angel.

But just as quickly, she sobered up. "Um … about the Duel."

"Hm?" Rei cracked open a teal eye.

"I was looking through the Duel log on the way over"— _choose your words carefully_ , Blue Angel thought to herself—"and there was a point in the Duel where you really would've won."

Her words had the desired effect: the girl sat bolt upright, all fatigue forgotten. "Say what?!"

"Mm-hm!" Blue Angel spared a moment for a wall-to-wall grin before she reassumed her "lecture" mode—something she would try and do after every Duel she played with a subscriber or a fan, whether experienced or not, so as to give them some coaching advice for the future.

"That Equip Spell of yours— _Hercule Base_ —could've shuffled the _Flash Sword Princess – Hayate_ that I destroyed right back into the Extra Deck when it got sent to the Graveyard," the Charisma Duelist told Rei. "From there, you could've used your _Kagari_ as Link Material to bring it back out. I didn't know until I checked the log again that _Hayate_ had an effect that allowed it to attack directly—no matter how many monsters I controlled."

Rei looked as though her _Kagari_ had ploughed her the same way that monster had _Foxywitch_. Her aquamarine eyes were wide as coins and almost as round, as the brain behind them put together the pieces from there.

"… Are you serious?!" There was another flopping noise, followed by a monumental groan; the girl had flung herself back onto the concrete coastline of the floating island. "That _stinks_ … mm."

"Don't beat yourself up over it, now," Blue Angel soothed. "If it wasn't for my _Foxywitch's_ effect, _Kagari_ would have won you the Duel, anyway."

" … That's the other thing," moaned Rei. "I read your _Magicorolla_ 's effects during the Duel—I knew it destroyed the monster it resurrected if it ever left the field. I could've done the same with your _Foxywitch_ , too … only … "

The Charisma Duelist felt her mouth work into a sympathetic smile. "Tunnel vision?"

A nod—slow but sure. "That happens more often in _Duel Monsters_ than you'd think," said Blue Angel sympathetically. "People want to build up the best board they can, and they put so much thought and effort into it that it never occurs to them that their opponent might have an out to their 'ultimate strategy'."

"Yeah … " Rei's teal eyes stared out at the LINK VRAINS hub—but the aquamarine gaze was glassy; it was clear she had a lot on her mind after Blue Angel's revelations. "I guess I thought attacking with _Kagari_ would've looked … I don't know … " She chewed her tongue, apparently unsure of what to say next.

"Cooler?" offered Blue Angel. "More awesome?"

Another nod—but less sure of herself this time. "Mm … like … something a Charisma Duelist would've done," Rei eventually replied.

Blue Angel couldn't help it; she burst out laughing again. Not because it was—again—the last answer she'd expected from the girl, but because a part of her knew all too well that if she was in Rei's place, and enough adrenaline was in her body, the Charisma Duelist might have done the _exact same thing_ with _Foxywitch_ , or one of her bigger monsters.

"So you were trying to show off for me, is what you're saying?" she asked, once the last few bubbles of mirth had been expended. "Pretend like we were having an actual live-streamed Duel in front of spectators, try to wow them all with those super-cool _Flash Swords_ of yours?"

"Mm … " It took a while for Rei to form any more of a response than that; Blue Angel had the impression she was doing some very deep thinking.

"Mostly because I … I wanted to do something new," she said a minute later, quiet as a mouse. "What you were saying about _Hayate_ … about how I could've attacked you directly to win the Duel? Something about that just doesn't … I don't know … _feel_ right with me. You brought out a whole new monster to beat me … you even said it was the first time you'd Link Summoned her, too … "

Blue Angel recalled her impromptu speech about _Foxywitch_ , and nodded. "Go on."

"Well … how would these pretend spectators have preferred me to win the Duel?" Rei asked. "With a monster they'd never seen before … or one they already _had_?"

Blue Angel blinked. She'd had some brainteasers put to her in the past—largely thanks to Akira—and Rei's query had managed to trump most of them. For her experience as a streamer had taught her that fans liked two things above all when watching a Duel: first, to watch their favorite Duelist win—and second, to see cards and plays that had either never been seen before, or had never been played for a long time outside of the most niche of rogue Decks. For monsters of incredible strength, or the capacity to attain it, this went double—and Rei's _Kagari_ , considering the vast amount of Spells Blue Angel had seen Rei activate in their Duel, certainly fit that particular bill.

"I think I get what you're saying," she replied. "That winning with _Hayate_ would have felt boring to you?"

Rei made a waving motion with her hand that Blue Angel took as a very tentative "yes"—before promptly sighing. "I get that it was the wrong move to make, though—it was a stupid misplay, and I was just too wrapped up in wanting to look cool for you … "

Blue Angel shushed her before Rei could launch into another self-critical rant. "I said before, don't beat yourself up about it. The key thing about this game is that it's just that—a game. As long as you had fun out there, then that should be all that matters to you."

She decided not to make mention of her experience at the hands of the Knights—that was a can of worms that could be opened later on. "And from what I was seeing," she added, forcing a smile to wave aside _that_ train of thought, "you were having a lot of fun out there dressed up as all your monsters!"

Rei's cheeks were pink. " … Yeah. I … I guess I did." A faint laugh escaped her—another one of those breathless laughs from before. "Still … I wanted to Duel you to find out if … if I could be like you, though," she mumbled, "if you could teach me how to be a Charisma Duelist, too. Since I lost … well … "

She looked away from Blue Angel, suddenly downcast again; the Charisma Duelist remembered what she'd said before the Duel about going back to being a "nobody" if she ended up losing.

But something told Blue Angel that that would be easier said than done after today—and so she quickly pooh-poohed Rei with a wave of her hand. "For what it's worth," she told her, "if you wanted to start streaming a Duel or two _tomorrow_ —well, _I_ wouldn't mind subscribing to you."

Blue Angel swore she heard a _crick_ in Rei's neck from how quickly the girl's head had whipped in her direction. "Wha—y-you'd … y-you actually w-would—" Her stammering quickly devolved from there; Blue Angel had to fight down another fit of giggles at the sight of the hopelessly flustered Rei.

"One last freebie for the day—I promise, last one," the Charisma Duelist said, holding up a finger for silence before the poor girl's head exploded. "Charisma Duelists always have at least one gimmick to them. Some gimmicks are more common than others—maybe they Duel to have fun, like me … or maybe they Duel to win. Others try to be a little more unique than that—like _how_ they Duel."

She tipped a wink at Rei. "If you can figure out that gimmick," she told her, saying each word slowly and with the greatest of care, "then you're _halfway there_ already."

There was a long moment of silence as Rei digested that last bit of information. Then, without warning, her face lit up like downtown Den City come nightfall—and kept on lighting up, brighter and brighter.

By the time Blue Angel figured out why this might be the case, Rei's Duel Disk had begun to beep again—this time more rapidly; her passcode was just about up. But somehow that didn't matter to her; the look of wonder in Rei's wide eyes—combined with her suddenly slack jaw—told the Charisma Duelist exactly what she needed to know: Rei had an idea—an impossible, dauntingly wonderful idea.

"It had to be now," sighed Rei, still breathy even as she stared at her flashing device. "Oh, well … I guess I can sleep on this for a little while. But I think I know what to do now, Blue Angel! Thanks so much for tonight—I wish I could've been able to hang out with you a little longer—maybe you and I could have—"

Blue Angel waved her off. "Hey—always glad to help out a fan!" she grinned. "I hope I get to meet you again someday!" She let the unspoken implication hang in the air between them—perhaps another Duel in the future, now that they knew how and where to find one another.

Rei's laugh, when it came, was so unexpectedly giddy that her cheeks flushed redder than her _Kagari's_ armor, despite the glow from her body nearly blurring out the features of her face by now.

"Heh … you know," she said, " … I'd like that, too … " And she smiled back at Blue Angel—the most genuine one she had delivered. Rei raised her hand to wave back; it was the last thing she did before her Duel Disk began to emit one continuous tone—their time together was up.

One second later—almost as quickly as she'd stumbled into Blue Angel's life earlier tonight, her avatar flashed and was simply gone, leaving nothing behind but a brief message on Blue Angel's Disk:

 _User Rei has logged off_.

The Charisma Duelist exhaled a long breath that she didn't know she'd been holding to begin with. _About time, too_ , she thought. _I was worried I'd go past the time limit myself._

Her hand reached under her Duel Disk again, feeling for the hidden switch on its underside—and pressed it once more. Then, she sat up and got to her feet, suddenly more lightheaded than ever before—

"Well— _that_ was a sight to see."

Only the fact that this was a voice Blue Angel—Blue _Girl_ , rather—had gotten to know quite well over time kept her from jumping a whole ten feet out of total shock. Her skin still prickled slightly, though, as if a sudden cold wind had breathed along her spine.

That tended to happen when talking to _ghosts_ , after all, a small part of her thought.

"So," Blue Angel asked, her tone suddenly much more businesslike as she turned round to address the new arrival. "Did you get all that?"

The gray- and pink-haired woman that had shimmered into being behind her—making neither a sound nor a sight in doing so—smiled back as if the Charisma Duelist had just asked her to add one and one.

"Every second, and more besides," said Ghost Girl, tapping under her own Duel Disk—where Blue Angel knew a switch much like the one in her own Duel Disk was known to be. "You should see the chat rooms right now. Five thousand-plus viewers in each of the major servers—and every person in them is talking about the nobody who nearly beat Blue Angel."

A thoughtful look creased the woman's face. "Wish I could see the look on her face when she wakes up."

"Do you think we did the right thing?" Blue Angel asked. "She did want to keep this between us, after all. I'd hate to think we did more harm than good to her by going public about this Duel—without her knowledge."

Ghost Girl didn't answer—at least, not until her arms had finished weaving a complicated dance through the air in front of her. Digital energy was streaming from her fingers, expanding into multiple squares of light that themselves were dancing with innumerable lines of text that scrolled across the screens so rapidly that it was pointless to read them all. Several of them had video clips, however, and mirrored though they were—Blue Angel could see these just fine. She particularly noted the footage of herself and Rei speaking in the server where they'd first met, Rei jumping into the data stream in lieu of a D-Board, the first-ever Summon of her _Foxywitch_ —and finally, the last play of the Duel. The Charisma Duelist couldn't resist cringing at the way her _Sweet Devil_ had clobbered the girl.

"'OMG this girl is amazing'." Ghost Girl's voice was almost matter-of-fact as her lavender eyes scanned these screens. "'Wow it's like she's actually turning into her cards!' … 'HER CHANTS AAAHHHH :O' … 'this is legit the most anime way ive ever seen someone duel and i LOVE IT SO MUCH' … 'I cant find her on the server?! give me more of this coolness plz' … "

She giggled, as if to say _do I really need to go on?_ "And that's _after_ sifting through page after page of emoticons and memes, I'd like to point out. I'm surprised SolTech didn't have to deal with any server crashes tonight."

The Charisma Duelist blinked. "Huh. You really _did_ get everything, then," she said, nodding approvingly.

"I can get you the screen-grabs later," Ghost Girl told her, "as many of them as you want. They get less, ah … _legible_ from there—and the mods aren't catching all the less _savory_ posts, so fair warning. But the message is still the same: that girl is no longer a ' _nobody_ '. She's become an Internet darling … and it's all because of you."

The notion that she might have just changed this unknown girl's life made a smile unfold across Blue Angel's face—though the thought of Rei's impending reaction still ate away at her.

She decided to compromise by twisting her smile into more of a wry smirk. "Hey, now, don't sell yourself short," she said playfully to Ghost Girl. "You helped arrange this from the beginning. You were the one who told me she wasn't just another Knight of Hanoi in disguise. You were the one broadcasting the Duel in the first place to pretty much all of LINK VRAINS. All _I_ did was help out a fan break out of their shell."

Ghost Girl smiled back at her, though hers was more gentle—unexpectedly so for an avowed hacker. "I'd like to hope you did more than that," she said, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hot-pink highlights around a finger as she stared at the footage of Rei transforming into _Hayate_.

"Oh—and don't worry about Rei," she soothed. "I'll keep an eye on her for a little while—make sure she won't be _too_ rattled by all this attention she's about to get. Make some of the more _intrusive_ emails from love-struck fans go _poof_ , that sort of thing. I'm sure you know the feeling."

 _All too well_ , thought Blue Angel. She checked her Duel Disk, and blanched—it was much later than she'd expected. " … I'd better go," she told Ghost Girl. "That Duel took a lot out of me."

She flashed a smile. "Same time tomorrow, Ema?"

"Mm … " The hacker had turned her gaze skyward, hands on hips and deep in thought. "You know … I think Akira and the Ignises can wait for one day. I can hold down the fort for you until then."

She flipped a jaunty salute at Blue Angel. "Sleep well, Aoi." Ghost Girl turned to leave—and then, much like her namesake, had disappeared into thin air before her _protégée_ could even blink.

"You too," she replied back softly, even though she knew it was too late to be heard.

The Charisma Duelist turned her thoughts one last time to Rei, even as she checked her Duel Disk for any breaking news regarding LINK VRAINS—and sure enough, there was a salvo of media that practically knocked her over with how much of the page they took up:

 **PART DUELIST, PART DUEL MONSTER? WHO IS 'REI'?**

 **THE 'DIGITAL PRINCESS' THAT COULD SURPASS BLUE ANGEL?!**

 **EXCLUSIVE: WATCH THE 'NOBODY' TAKING LINK VRAINS BY STORM!**

The boldfaced headlines, and the extra-large images below them, earned a roll of her eyes for their sheer, unabashed sensationalism. But Blue Angel still bookmarked the pages for later; there would be time to pore through them all once she was awake and alert—once the hubbub had died down enough to where the actual stories could be properly fleshed out. Now, however, was not that time.

So it was that she took one last look at the hub of LINK VRAINS—too far away for her to see or hear any sign of the excitement her Duel might have caused—before logging out herself. The Charisma Duelist spared only a few seconds to watch the indecipherable data swirl around her, causing her body to glow and disperse—

* * *

—and all too quickly, she was Zaizen Aoi again, plopping down spread-eagled on her soft bed with a _whoomph_ , watching the data streams fade from view—and feeling the fatigue of her battle with Rei rush though her body as if the floodgates had opened. She had just enough time to take off her Duel Disk and set it on the nearby nightstand before the weight on her eyelids became too much to bear.

Dozens of feelings whirled through her head as she slid under her covers, at roughly the same speed of the digital sea with which she'd been briefly fused earlier tonight. Try as she might, even through the fog of her exhaustion, Aoi could not tear her thoughts away from Rei, wondering if the girl had indulged the same habit she had just now, and bothered to check the news before heading to bed herself. She wondered whether Rei's friends had contacted her yet, out of excitement or fear—or been inside LINK VRAINS at all to see their Duel.

And Aoi wondered how she would rationalize this to Rei if they were to meet again—and she suspected they would, in the future. Too much had been set in motion from this one chance encounter that she would simply forget it ever happened. She could easily say that a third party had spied on their Duel and recorded them in secret—a statement, which, on the whole, wasn't _entirely_ a lie—but she valued her working relationship with Bessho Ema too much to simply throw it under the proverbial bus, and her along with it.

But Ema had volunteered to watch over Rei as well, too, she reasoned—ensure that the skittish girl had some time to collect her wits and test the waters, before taking the plunge into a whole new world. Aoi wouldn't have been able to hold up her heads otherwise—exposing someone to that sort of unnecessary attention so soon was needlessly cruel. _Better to give them a taste first—just a sample of what her life could be …_

She continued to fret over her actions as the seconds and minutes of the night ticked away, even as her body sank deeper and deeper into the world of dreams—even as her Duel Disk, out of reach on the nightstand, flashed to life, displaying two short words on the screen:

 _Thank you._

Few people in the world, if any at all, would say those two words if they still harbored any fear of their identity—real or otherwise—being known by millions of people in a matter of seconds. But Zaizen Aoi wouldn't read that message until much, much later the next day, on her jog late that morning.

And so the teenager nuzzled into her pillow in her last moments of consciousness, blissfully unaware of the extent of which she'd set a single girl's life in motion—and her last thought before sleep finally claimed her was that it might do to talk about her dilemma to another party, one she could also trust the way she could trust Ema.

She smiled. Maybe at Café Nom, she thought … over a hot dog …

* * *

 **A/N: I like to think Aoi's been rubbing off on Ema the longer they work together; that's my main rationalization for her doing what she did in this story.**

 **Anyhow … yeah, this got completed a lot later than it should have. I finally moved into my own apartment a month ago—but I've also been out of town so often for work of late that I still feel like I've yet to settle into the place. That's the main reason my output's dropped like a stone over the past few weeks; I hope to change that in the future now that my life's starting to get back under control.**

 **Thanks so much for reading, and sticking with this even as my life gets crazy. Hope you enjoyed it! – K**


End file.
